Chelsea vs Aston Villa Prediction, Odds and Betting Tips: Best bets for Sunday's early kick-off

While most of the nation’s attention will be on the bumper Sunday evening clash between Liverpool and Manchester City, the early instalment of Super Sunday between Chelsea and Aston Villa has the makings of a classic. Matthew O’Regan previews the game with bets of 4/5 and 8/5.

Both Chelsea and Aston Villa were in midweek European action. A heavily rotated Chelsea side won 2-0 away to Heidenheim in the Conference League, whereas Villa controversially drew 0-0 against Italian giants Juventus. Therefore, the hosts are better rested and will look to mount pressure on Liverpool in the title race.

Chelsea currently sit joint-third, nine points off leaders Liverpool, knowing a win will have the Reds nervously checking the table ahead of their clash with reigning champions Manchester City.

If Enzo Maresca’s side are to challenge for the title, they will need to improve their form at Stamford Bridge – taking just nine points from six games. In Cole Palmer, the Blues have arguably the Player of the Season so far. The 22-year-old has seven goals and five assists in 12 league starts. Given a full rest midweek, Palmer will be integral to his side’s chances of a positive result.

Villa are in a rut at the moment and are now seven games without a win. A 1-1 draw at home to Bournemouth was followed up by four losses in a row, losing at home to Crystal Palace in the EFL Cup, away to Tottenham and Liverpool in the league and away to Club Brugge in the Champions League.

Back-to-back home draws against Crystal Palace and Juventus thwarted the losing run, but Unai Emery’s side are low on confidence. Given the competitive nature of this season’s Premier League, the Villains could be as low as 12th or as high as 5th after the weekend action.

Both sides are slowly getting back to full strength, with only Reece James missing for the hosts and Amadou Onana and Jacob Ramsey absent for the visitors.

Aston Villa have become renowned for their distinct style of play. Unai Emery favours a high line, with Villa opponents caught offside an average of 3.30 times per game. They also have many tricky and deceitful players, leading to their opponents making 12.43 fouls per game, with Villa averaging 15.73 free kicks per game.

Emery’s side have had at least 12 free kicks in 18/19 games, with the only exception being the 1-3 win at Fulham, where they got 10. Villa have also conceded at least 12 free kicks in 14/19, only conceding 11 against Arsenal, Everton and Crystal Palace (League), ten against Bayern Munich and eight against Palace again (cup). However, every away game has seen them concede 12 free kicks, meaning this bet has landed in 8/9 away from home.

Chelsea also plays a high line, averaging 2.40 offsides per game. Maresca’s side draw 12.03 fouls per game, averaging 14.43 free kicks per match. They have had at least 12 free kicks in  10/12 league games, with games against Manchester City (10) and Brighton (9) preventing a full sweep.  The Blues have also conceded over 11.5 free kicks in 10/12, failing against Crystal Palace (9) and West Ham (10).

In what should be a competitive game, we should see plenty of free kicks given.

Sticking with the foul theme, Paddy Power have some generously priced bets in the ‘foul matchup’ market.

Youri Tielemans has started all 12 Premier League games and is a key cog in Unai Emery’s system. The Belgian has made 1.37 fouls per 90, making a foul in all bar two Premier League starts.

Cole Palmer has been a revelation since signing for Chelsea, contributing 52 goals in 59 goals. He is a nuisance for his opposition midfielder to deal with, drawing 2.50 fouls per 90.

Tielemans will likely be tasked with dealing with Chelsea’s talisman, so looks an appealing price to foul him.

Chelsea vs Aston Villa Lineups

The starting lineups for Chelsea vs Aston Villa will be displayed in the graphic below once the team news has been announced.