Chelsea v Aston Villa Cheat Sheet: Key Stats & Betting Angles

The Premier League returns this weekend after the first International break of the season with what looks like a cracking card for Gameweek 4. Chelsea take on Aston Villa on Saturday at Stamford Bridge and we’ve provided you with our Cheat Sheet for the game which can hopefully lead to some profitable punting.

We’ve included some key stats relating to some of the most popular betting markets such as shots on target and players ‘to be carded’. You’ll also find some insight below on who we think may be worth including in your selections. 

Player performance data can also be found for all 20 clubs in our Premier League Stats Zone as well as game-by-game figures for the 2020/21 and 2021/2022 campaigns. 

First up let’s take a look at who’s been recording the most shots on target for Chelsea across their three league fixtures so far this term. Romelu Lukaku has registered three shots on target in his opening three fixtures and leads the way for Chelsea,, but with being priced at just 4/9 to record 2+ against Villa on Saturday he may be worth avoiding. 

Mateo Kovacic may not be the most prolific goalscorer but with five shots in his opening three matches he’s worth some consideration at 9/5 for 1+ shot on target with Paddy Power. The Croatian’s shot figures read 2,2,1 from his first three games with just one of those hitting the target. With Chelsea expected to dominate against a Villa side that are missing a few key players, Kovacic makes some appeal in the shots on target market.

Edouard Mendy and Antonio Rudiger are the only players to be shown a yellow card so far this season for Chelsea in the league, with Reece James seeing a straight red on their most recent outing against Liverpool. 

Stuart Attwell is the referee for the game and he had the second highest yellow cards per game ratio of the 19 who took charge in the Premier League last season, showing 3.87 yellows per game on average. With Reece James suspended, Cesar Azpilcueta should start and he was booked five times in 26 appearances for Chelsea in the league last season and is available at a current best price of 5/1 to be carded this weekend.

33% of Aston Villa’s shots on target so far this season have come courtesy of summer signing Danny Ings from Southampton. Ings recorded 27 shots on target in 29 appearances last season in the league for Saints and has landed one on target in each of his three fixtures for his new club. Chelsea are sure to keep things tight and we can’t see Villa having many shots on target but if we were to side with anyone it would be Danny Ings to hit the target once or more at 8/11.

John McGinn was shown more yellow cards than any other player in the 2020/2021 campaign, picking up an impressive 12 cautions in 37 appearances. As mentioned above, Stuart Attwell will be the referee for the game and with that in mind, McGinn looks primed to pick up his first booking of the campaign considering Villa will most likely have their backs to the wall for the majority of Saturday evening. 

3/1 with Unibet looks the best odds on offer at the time of writing and although it may not be the most glamorous price from it looks one we’d be happy to get behind. Best of luck with any selections you decide upon this weekend, you can find a full preview for the game and best bets from the knowledgeable @JimmyThePunt that will be live on site from Friday.

Please always gamble responsibly.