Chelsea – Aston Villa

Chelsea must live up to their status as the match favorite.

After Chelsea's latest triumph in the Champions League under Thomas Tuchel, the club went into rebuilding. By buying and selling players for hundreds of millions of euros and changing managers, the London club is gradually taking on the look of a strong squad. The Blues' fans had sky-high expectations for the current season after the summer victory at the Club World Cup. Palmer and his team confidently dismantled PSG in the final, who previously in the Champions League had dealt with all the strongest clubs in Europe. However, the first half of the 2025/2026 season showed the London club's lack of readiness to contend for the Premier League title. If Mareska does not fix anything in the Blues' play, they will have to focus on fighting for a place in the Premier League's Champions League spots. Aston Villa, in the opening rounds of the Premier League, showed weak football, collecting points mainly through draws and not scoring goals at all. This state of affairs ended in September when the Birmingham club's leadership publicly voiced support for Unai Emery. The team consolidated around the Spanish coach and began delivering stable results. Since then, Aston Villa has shown not only stable football, but also risen to the level of a title contender. Bookmakers have made the home side the favorites for the upcoming match, offering odds of 1.84 on their victory. In the current season Chelsea have played 26 official matches in two domestic competitions and one continental competition. During this period Mareska's team can boast only victories over Liverpool and Barcelona. All other matches against the strongest clubs in England and Europe the Blues either lost or drew. Such results leave them in fourth place in the Premier League, ten points behind the leader. For the match in the capital, Emery's team will come into a ten-game winning streak, during which they beat Brighton, Arsenal and Manchester United, among others. This form puts them in third place in the Premier League, three points behind first place. Despite the underdog status of the upcoming clash, Aston Villa is capable in London of both scoring goals and taking points. Let's bet on both teams to score.