• Chelsea have drawn three of their last five Premier League fixtures

• Aston Villa have been beaten just once in their last 14 Premier League games

• Recommended bet: Draw

Chelsea were being spoken of as potential title challengers a month ago, but they have won just one of their last five Premier League games and are under a bit of pressure as they prepare to tackle third-placed Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge.

Raised expectations in West London appear to have irritated Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca, who spoke of a lack of support in the aftermath of his team’s 2-0 victory at home to Everton.

Maresca may wish to add a little more experience to his squad because there are signs that his youthful side are simply unable to put a serious run together.

The same cannot be said of Villa, who have got themselves into the title conversation by winning their last seven Premier League games.

Villa are just three points behind leaders Arsenal, who they face at the Emirates Stadium in their final match of 2025.

The latest Chelsea vs Aston Villa odds are available on LiveScore Bet.

Team news

Chelsea's Cole Palmer has been building up his fitness levels and done enough to satisfy Maresca that he is ready for the full 90 minutes if required.

Estevao (unspecified injury) and Liam Delap (shoulder) are also available but Romeo Lavia (thigh) continues to miss out and Levi Colwill (knee) is a long-term absentee.

Ollie Watkins (knee) is expected to be available for Villa but Pau Torres (calf) and Harvey Elliott (illness) will need to be assessed and Tyrone Mings (thigh) is not quite ready.

Evann Guessand is at the Africa Cup of Nations after receiving a late call up to the Ivory Coast squad while Ross Barkley (knee) remains unavailable.

The latest Chelsea vs Aston Villa odds are available on LiveScore Bet.

The stats

Chelsea have lost just one of their last eight league fixtures.

Four of Chelsea’s last six matches have featured at least three goals.

The Blues have scored in each of their last ten home games.

Aston Villa have won their last 10 matches in all competitions.

Villa have won eight of their last eight fixtures by a single-goal margin.

Seven of Villa’s last eight games have featured goals for both teams.

The latest Chelsea vs Aston Villa odds are available on LiveScore Bet.

Prediction

Aston Villa have had the knack of winning tight games but they might settle for a single point against Chelsea, who are key rivals in the battle for Champions League qualification.

The Midlands side have kept in touch with Arsenal and Manchester City, but they will be equally keen to maintain or increase the seven-point gap between themselves and fourth-placed Chelsea, who have gone off the boil in recent weeks.

Chelsea were involved in a classic game of two halves at Newcastle last Saturday where they trailed by two goals at the break and fought back to secure a 2-2 draw.

The Londoners have struggled for consistency from match to match and sometimes within games and they might drop a couple of points against Villa, who will be feeling almost invincible after their recent surge.

Back the Draw at 27/10 with LiveScore Bet.

The latest Chelsea vs Aston Villa odds are available on LiveScore Bet.