Premier League: Can Villa or Chelsea Find a Win?

Aston Villa vs Chelsea

Two teams with top four designs meet in Birmingham on Wednesday night when Liam Rosenior’s Chelsea travel north to take on Unai Emery’s Aston Villa.

It’s fourth versus sixth at the top of the Premier League table and, while it looks like the English league is likely to pick up five Champions League spots for the 2026/27 campaign, neither club is in a comfortable position. Aston Villa missed out agonisingly last term and are in the Europa League, while the Blues qualified for the top competition, and they finished sixth at the group stage to qualify automatically for the Round of 16.

Back in the Premier League Aston Villa were stunned by Wolverhampton Wanderers last Friday, losing 2-0 to the bottom club, meanwhile, Chelsea lost to league leaders Arsenal on Sunday; and now both teams would pay handsomely for a win on Wednesday. 

 

Talking Points

Villa’s wheels are wobbling

After a poor start to the campaign Emery guided Aston Villa to a hugely impressive run of Premier League 2026 results, which took his team to the brink of the title race. But the last few weeks have been disappointing for their passionate fans and now they are in real danger of slipping out of the top five. Currently the Villans are fourth, but with Liverpool and Chelsea looming they will have to fight hard to hold on.

Emery’s team has picked up a lot of one goal wins this season, but the fine margins went against them in February when they won just one game, 1-0 at home to Brighton and Hove Albion. Other than that Villa lost to Brentford, drew with Bournemouth and Leeds United and went out of the FA Cup. But the worst result of all came last Friday when they lost 2-0 away to bottom club Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Are the wheels about to fall off?

Well it certainly looked that way at Molineux as goals from Joao Gomes and Rodrigo Gomes gave Wolves only a second victory of the campaign. Up front the out of form Ollie Watkins misfired, while the Villa defence was too easily undone. Villa are going well in the Europa League and centre back Victor Lindelof has been a big part of that. But he was benched for the debacle against Wolves, with Pau Torres and Ezri Konsa preferred, and Emery may be tempted to bring the former Manchester United man back.

In September Villa were concerned about relegation, by January they were dreaming of a title but now…the Villans just want to stop a potential slide and a limp end to the campaign.   

 

Can Chelsea keep 11 men on the pitch?

The very latest Premier League 2026 betting odds predict Aston Villa to finish fifth and Chelsea sixth. I’m not so sure about that. The Blues have a bright manager and an exciting young squad…but they are prone to shooting themselves in the foot. 

When Pedro Neto was red carded for scything down Gabriel Martinelli at a pivotal point in the 2-1 loss to Arsenal, that made it a whopping nine red cards for the season. Poor discipline has put Chelsea at a serious disadvantage in far too many games. Only last week centre back Wesley Fofana put a nasty tackle on James Ward-Prowse to earn a red card, and the upshot was that the Blues drew 1-1 with Burnley. Rosenior was downbeat after the Arsenal loss, saying: “In the end it is a bitterly disappointing day because we came here with a game plan we felt we could execute. Sometimes you have to learn from the consequences and the pain. I felt the consequence of the pain of losing points against Burnley.”   

He has the players to win matches, with the likes of Moises Caicedo and Cole Palmer able to control a game; but they can’t keep working with just ten men and Rosenior needs to sort it.  

 

History

Of the last 63 meetings Chelsea have won twice as many games as Villa’ at 32 to 16, while at Villa Park they have won 14 to nine; but when the two sides met at Stamford Bridge in December, Emery masterminded a 2-1 victory as Watkins climbed off the bench to score twice as the Villans came from behind to win.   

With two wins, two draws and two defeats from their last six games Chelsea’s season has stuttered of late; meanwhile Villa’s situation is arguably worsening more quickly, with just one victory from their last six outings, two draws and three defeats.  

 

Betting Tip

Villa are priced here at SBOTOP at 2.75 with the draw at 3.50; but I’m backing Chelsea to keep 11 players on the pitch and take advantage of a team in the doldrums and, for a correct score line, 2-1 to Chelsea at odds of 8.75 would be my choice.

   

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