Aston Villa will hope their fortunes turn this weekend when they take on Chelsea in the Premier League.
Morgan Rogers was denied a late winner in the Champions League on Wednesday night, as Aston Villa settled for a goalless draw against Juventus.
Now, it’s seven matches without a win for Unai Emery in all competitions, with the task of ending that run this weekend looking daunting.
Chelsea are unbeaten in their previous four Premier League matches and have Cole Palmer at their disposal, one of the league’s in-form players.
Emery can stop Palmer by deploying Boubacar Kamara, but whilst the Frenchman’s inclusion will help them defensively, two former Premier League players are predicting a tough afternoon for Villa.
Paul Merson working as a pundit for Sky Sports during the Premier League match between Manchester City FC and Arsenal FC at Etihad Stadium on Septe...
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Chris Sutton and Paul Merson predict Chelsea vs Aston Villa result
While Villa fans will converge on Stamford Bridge praying for a victory, Chris Sutton, in his predictions for BBC Sport, wrote: “Aston Villa have not been firing on all cylinders recently but they were unlucky not to beat Juventus on Wednesday, after having a late winner ruled out.
“I captained Villa keeper Emi Martinez in my Fantasy team last weekend because I had not kept many clean sheets and just had a gut feeling they would keep Crystal Palace out – and of course they conceded after four minutes.
“Martinez is an outstanding goalkeeper, the best in the Premier League, but I cannot see him keeping a clean sheet this week either.
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“I am backing Chelsea to take this one.”
Sutton’s prediction: 2-1
Paul Merson, unsurprisingly, has shared a similar prediction to Sutton and he wrote in his column for Sportskeeda: “It’s funny how things change so quickly in football. Aston Villa were flying along a few weeks ago and look at them now. They are without a win in their last six games in all competitions!
“Villa have definitely lost their way a little bit. They struggled without Ezri Konsa in the last game. The back-four looked shaky against Crystal Palace and their high line did not work.
“I’m expecting Chelsea to get another win here. Villa have too much going on for them now with the Champions League as well.”
Merson’s prediction: Chelsea 3-1 Aston Villa
Unai Emery must make two changes vs Chelsea
Some of Emery’s stars are in a poor run of form and he should, therefore, make two changes to the side that drew against Juventus.
Villa fans called for Rogers to be rested after his underwhelming display on Wednesday night, and he should be replaced by Jhon Duran, who can finally partner Ollie Watkins in a Premier League game.
Meanwhile, Merson touched on the importance of Ezri Konsa, and he should come in for Diego Carlos in the heart of the defence.
Konsa’s pace and defensive awareness are two key attributes that work well with Emery’s high line. The Englishman is arguably his most vital defender.
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