Prediction: Chelsea vs Aston Villa

Prediction: Chelsea win

Best Odds: 4/9

Bookmaker: 888sport

It’s time for some more midweek action but instead of Europe or the international break, we’re instead going to be focusing our attention on the League Cup. While it may have lost some of its allure over the years this is still the kind of competition that can offer up a great chance to go on a run to Wembley and, subsequently, can hand a club a rare opportunity to win a piece of silverware. Today, we’re taking a look at a third round tie between two teams that will expect to make a deeper run than most – Chelsea and Aston Villa.

Chelsea

Chelsea are the reigning European champions and they’re also, in the eyes of many, the favourites to win the Premier League title. Thomas Tuchel has assembled a team that’s about as close to a “super team” as you can get in the beautiful game and that’s no exaggeration. They’ve got talent running through the heart of their squad and every fixture they go into will be met with an expectation of victory.

Team News

Mendy and Pullisic are both fitness doubts here and with the Champions League being back next week, heavy rotation is expected.

Aston Villa

After a less than stellar start to the campaign we saw Dean Smith’s men burst into life over the weekend with a strong and confident win over Everton at Villa Park. They’ve got the kind of squad that should make them more than capable of pushing for a top half finish in the Premier League but on top of that, they’ll also want to keep their relationship with Wembley going strong. They’ve been there on multiple occasions in recent years and while they may not have always secured the win, they tend to give as good as they get.

Team News

Trezeguet and Davis have been ruled out for this one and they aren’t the only players who could be on the shelf for the trip to London. Sanson, Bailey, Targett, McGinn, Cash, Philogene-Bidace and Chukwuemeka are all doubts for the game.

Factors to Consider

• These two sides met just 10 days ago with Chelsea beating Aston Villa 3-0.
• Chelsea have won five and drawn one of their last six games.
• Aston Villa have won three, drawn one and lost two of their last six games.
• Chelsea have scored 13 goals and conceded one in their last six games.
• Aston Villa have scored 14 goals and conceded seven in their last six games.

Conclusion

While there may be an element of “weakened sides” for both clubs, with Villa perhaps being slightly stronger, we still expect Chelsea to get the job done at Stamford Bridge. Their strength in depth is incredible and at this moment in time, it’s hard to picture a scenario in which anyone can beat them. We think the Blues will control the pace of the game from beginning to end, registering a 2-0 win that eases them into the fourth round of the competition.

Prediction: Chelsea win

Best Odds: 4/9

Bookmaker: 888sport