Aston Villa vs Chelsea: Blues look to consolidate top four spot in tricky clash against Villa

Topics: TV Schedules, Aston Villa, Chelsea, English Premier League

Both Aston Villa and Chelsea will be looking to wrap up their respective 2020/2021 Premier League campaigns with a win as they lock horns on Sunday, May 23rd at Villa Park.

Preview: Aston Villa vs Chelsea

With both Liverpool and Leicester City hot on their tails, Chelsea will be really keen on ensuring they secure a top four finish as they travel to face Aston Villa on matchday 38. The Blues could secure a Champions League berth for themselves by winning this season's title when they face Manchester City in Porto later this month, but they'd naturally want to be certain of this by already being in the top four.

The visiting side come into this match with four wins from their last five games, including a hard-fought 2-1 win over Leicester City. It was the perfect way to rebound following their FA Cup defeat to the Foxes just a few days prior and get back on track after suffering a frustrating loss to Arsenal in league play that cost them three valuable points.

Meanwhile, Aston Villa have won two of their last five, but notably ended their three game winless streak with a vital 2-1 win over Tottenham last time out. The Villains are in 11th spot, comfortably safe for next season, but have no shot at qualifying for European football. Notably, they'll be hoping to end a losing streak when it comes to wrapping up the season; since 2011, Aston Villa haven't won any of their matchday 38 matches since beating Liverpool 1-0. However, this bad run doesn't seem to affect them when they play Chelsea, where they're unbeaten in their last four meetings (three wins, one draw).

That being said, Chelsea have done quite well on the road since Thomas Tuchel took over. Under the German tactician's guidance, the Blues are unbeaten in their last eight away league games, with six points and two draws. More important, Chelsea have lost just one of their last 12 most recent meetings with Villa, while picking up 10 wins during that time-frame, and have generally done well in matchday 38 ties. Out of their last nine campaigns, the London giants have lost just once, while winning six and drawing two, so the odds, on paper, at least, do look good that Chelsea will wrap up things on a high note and secure a top four spot for themselves ahead of their Champions League showdown with Manchester City later this month.

Team news: Aston Villa vs Chelsea

Aston Villa: Morgan Sanson and Matt Cash remain out with knee and hamstring problems, while Trezeguet is out until next season due to a long-term knee injury. Ross Barkley won't feature as he's ineligible to play against his parent club on loan.

Chelsea: Both N'Golo Kante and Kai Havertz could end up missing this game. Kante is currently struggling with a hamstring problem, while Havertz is still dealing with muscular issues, and so both players will have to pass late fitness tests before this weekend's trip to Villa Park.

Match facts: Aston Villa vs Chelsea

Aston Villa have lost 10 of their last 12 Premier League meetings with Chelsea (W1 D1)
Chelsea will be hoping to win four in a row at Villa Park for the first time since 1995 to 1999. The Blues have won their last three away matches against Aston Villa
The Blues have lost their final league game in just one of the last nine campaigns (W6 D2)
Meanwhile, Villa haven't won any of their last league games since beating Liverpool 1-0 in the 2010/2011 campaign
That being said, Villa are unbeaten when facing Chelsea in their last game of the season, with a record of (W3 D1)
Chelsea are unbeaten in each of their eight away league games under Tuchel (W6 D2)