Chelsea vs Aston Villa

Click on any stream link below to watch the game

 Click on any link in the table above to watch the game.

-------------------------------------------------

After a shaky start to the Premier League season, the notion that Mauricio Pochettino would wave a magic wand and solve all of Chelsea's issues has been thoroughly debunked.

If the Stamford Bridge revolution is to succeed, the former Spurs manager will need to start showing results quickly, starting with Aston Villa's visit.

The popular opinion was that Chelsea could only get better following a terrible season in which they lost three managers and finished in a dismal 12th place in the standings, only 10 points above the relegation zone.

But the slump has persisted into the current campaign, and after a dull draw with Bournemouth that resulted in a bet for our man Mark, the Blues completed last weekend lying 14th in the Premier League.

They have only defeated promoted Luton Town thus far, and that 3-0 success has generated a full house of tips for me. And given that almost a billion pounds have been spent since Todd Boehly assumed leadership, it is astounding how distant Chelsea appear to be from the finished product.

Injuries haven't helped Pochettino's cause, but it appears that Chelsea's identity has been stolen as a result of a summer fire sale of academy products to circumvent financial fair play laws.

Unai Emery's team has won three of ston Villa's first five games this season, adding insult to injury for Pochettino.

It will be intriguing to see how Villa manages to balance domestic and European football this season, especially since they just returned from a trip to Poland to play Legia Warsaw on Thursday night.

However, Emery appears to have a large enough squad to handle the expectations, so it wouldn't be surprising if his team picked up another three points at Stamford Bridge if they played well.

The last seven encounters between these teams have resulted in two Aston Villa triumphs, three Chelsea victories, and two draws. Last season, home field advantage didn't matter much. Chelsea defeated Villa by the same score at Stamford Bridge after defeating Chelsea 2-0 in the Midlands.

Raheem Sterling's comeback has been one of the few bright spots for Chelsea this year. I made money when I bet on him to score against Luton, and the winger is currently 19/10 at William Hill to score again.

Chelsea is preparing to welcome Aston Villa as they seek their second league victory of the season. The team has encountered a somewhat challenging start to the new season and is determined to deliver a stronger performance at home against Unai Emery's squad, which currently occupies the seventh position in the league.

Last season was a tough one for the West London club, culminating in a disappointing 12th-place finish in the league. Despite significant investments in new signings and the appointment of Mauricio Pochettino as the new manager, the team's fortunes haven't seen substantial improvements. As it stands, they are situated in 14th place on the points table, having accumulated five points from their first five matches.

In the current season, Chelsea has only managed to secure one victory and two draws. Their recent outing was a goalless draw against Bournemouth, and they are undoubtedly aiming for a more impressive performance in their upcoming match.

On the other side, Aston Villa has enjoyed a decent start under the management of Unai Emery. They have emerged victorious in three out of their five matches, securing a total of nine points and currently occupying the seventh spot in the league standings.

Aston Villa's most recent fixture was a 3-2 defeat to Legia Warszawa in the UEFA Europa Conference League, despite having more possession and taking more shots on goal. They will be eager to bounce back from this setback and put on a strong display against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. It promises to be a closely contested match between two high-quality sides.

Now, taking a closer look at both teams, it's worth considering the tactical approaches they might employ in this upcoming encounter.

Mauricio Pochettino, the former Tottenham manager, is expected to deploy a 4-3-3 formation with Robert Sanchez in goal. Malo Gusto and Levi Colwill are likely to start as full-backs, while in central defense, the experienced Thiago Silva will pair up with Axel Disasi.

In midfield, Chelsea graduate Conor Gallagher is expected to feature alongside Enzo Fernandez and Lesley Ugochukwu, forming the core trio. Their objective will be to dominate ball possession and dictate the tempo of the game. Former Manchester City star Raheem Sterling is set to occupy the right flank, while Mykhailo Mudryk will take the left-wing position. Leading the attack will be the young Nicolas Jackson.

Unai Emery, on the other hand, will be without the services of Emiliano Buendia and Tyrone Mings for this fixture. It's anticipated that Emery will revert to the starting XI that faced Crystal Palace last week, employing a 4-2-3-1 formation.

In goal, Argentine World Cup winner Emiliano Martinez will take his position, with Matty Cash and Lucas Digne as full-backs. At the heart of the defense, Ezri Konsa will partner with summer signing Pau Torres. Boubacar Kamara and Douglas Luiz will form a double pivot in midfield, responsible for both supporting the defense and controlling the game's tempo. John McGinn is expected to operate as the attacking midfielder, with support from Moussa Diaby and Nicolo Zaniolo on the flanks. Despite Jhon Duran's less-than-ideal start to the season, he is likely to return to the bench, with Ollie Watkins leading the line for Emery's team.

The Blues had a terrible first few weeks of the new season, only managing to defeat newly promoted Luton Town in one league game. As talk of a crisis intensifies, Mauricio Pochettino's team has failed to score in two straight games, losing to Nottingham Forest and drawing with Bournemouth.

The Midlands team has won three and lost two of its first five league games this season, making it somewhat of a rollercoaster for Villa faithful. Unai Emery will be concerned ahead of their trip to Stamford Bridge after suffering debilitating losses to Newcastle United and Liverpool as well as a close defeat to Legia Warsaw in the Europa Conference League.