Chelsea look set to have their work cut out for them in the fourth round of the Cup as they welcome, the toast of the league, Aston Villa to Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea vs Aston Villa Betting Tips
- Aston Villa to Win @12/5 with bet365
- Over 2 Chelsea Cards @4/5 with bet365
- Over 4 Aston Villa Corners @6/5 with bet365
All odds are courtesy of bet365, correct at the time of publishing and subject to change.
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Mauricio Pochettino’s men are coming off of an incredibly short week as well, as they defeated Middlesbrough 6-1 a mere three days ago.
Whilst this should buoy the side in terms of morale, fatigue could set in, something that bodes ill for their clash with the high-intensity and flying Villans side, who are relishing the success under Unai Emery.
Feeling Blue at the Bridge
Despite kicking off with a woeful record at home Chelsea seem to have finally found their feet in West London. However, they should prepare to be knocked back down by this Villa side, who will capitalise upon fatigue and form, to set them on their way to victory.
This will prove to be the strongest test either side will face in the FA Cup so far, yet Villa did dispatch a decent Middlesbrough side in their third-round game, whilst the Blues merely beat Preston 4-0 at home.
Whilst Chelsea eventually ended up smashing Boro in the second leg of the League Cup, their first-leg clash with them at the Riverside, saw the Blues lose 1-0 in a shabby fashion.
All this bodes well for Unai Emery, who also comes into this with his side having 13 days rest, whilst Chelsea must manage with just three.
The Villans have stolen three wins on three consecutive journeys to Stamford Bridge also, defeating them as recently as September of last year 1-0.
The perfect storm appears to be heading towards the Bridge, with the clouds flashing claret and blue, as overwhelming form and lack of fitness will consign the Blues to an early exit from the FA Cup.
Chelsea vs Aston Villa Tip 1: Aston Villa to Win @12/5 with bet365
Blue and Yellow
Chelsea have held the mantle as the most penalised side in the league for some time, leading the rest with 66 cards to their name, an impressive feat considering they have only played 21 games to this point.
This is something that should no doubt follow them into their cup exploits, and as they look set to be chasing the game, their combative side could surface once again.
The over two-card line hit for the Blues in their league clash with Villa back in September where they earned three cards, one such being red.
Chelsea are averaging 3.46 cards per game, and seeing the two or more line hit in a massive 86% of their games furthers the likelihood of this coming in comfortably.
Tiredness may also contribute to the rate of infractions, as the home side lacks the legs to chase down their opponents, instead having to resort to unsavoury means to slow them down.
Regardless of all of this, Chelsea love a booking and this should prove no different as the knockout nature of the Cup further raises the stakes of match.
Chelsea vs Aston Villa Tip 2: Over 2 Chelsea Cards @4/5 with bet365
Villans firing them in
The corner rate may not be what one wants to focus on in this, as a combative and entertaining clash seems imminent, but, with all of this should come a slew of corners for the Villans.
This will then allow them to fire them into the box and test the, often lacking, Blues backline.
Villa have been averaging a whopping 7.00 corners per road game, and have hit this 'over 4' line in 82% of their games, as they also had 11 corners on their last trip to the Bridge.
The Blues do not seem to be bothered about halting their opponent's progress in this realm either as they concede four or more corners in well over half their home games.
All signs point towards the Villans being well in with a shot of winning this match, something that will bring with it a host or corners for the boys in claret and blue.
Chelsea vs Aston Villa Tip 3: Over 4 Aston Villa Corners @6/5 with bet365