Fixture pile-up could see Aston Villa take point off weary Chelsea
Published:Aston Villa host Chelsea on Saturday, and it will be a monumental achievement if Alex McLeish’s men can justify their lengthy 3/1 odds for a home win.
Visiting Chelsea will be buoyed by their Champions League triumph away to Benfica in midweek, but could struggle to fulfil a 10/11 price to claim victory here, with an FA Cup semi-final and Champions League quarter-final second leg looming.
With this in mind, the draw is an appealing proposition at 12/5, as Roberto Di Matteo is likely to rest many of his tiring squad.
Villa have drawn more games than any other Premier League side this season too with 12, and with Chelsea racking up eight stalemates this term too, it looks like that is the outcome to get behind.
Two of the past three meetings between the sides have ended level too, including the last meeting at Villa Park, during which neither side managed to break the deadlock.
Both sides remain in possession of stingy defences, with either side conceding only very slightly more than a goal per game on average, and so backing a 1-1 scoreline could be the way to go this season at 6/1.
More cautious punters will take interest in the 9/5 odds about Aston Villa winning or drawing the game meanwhile, with the ball finding the net two times or less.
Although the respective league positions of the teams would seem to suggest a straightforward Chelsea win, this was also the case back in December, when Villa stunned their hosts by leaving Stamford Bridge with all three points.
Whilst a repeat of that looks unlikely here, a sturdy Villa outfit certainly have the credentials to frustrate the travelling Blues and take what could prove a vital point as they bid to allay any lingering relegation fears.
