By Ian S. Palmer
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Chelsea will be trying to turn their season around this weekend when they host Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, October 17. The reigning champions have been struggling all season long and manager Jose Mourinho has now been banned and fined by the English FA due to controversial comments made to the press about refereeing. Mourinho was nailed with a 50,000 pound fine and a one-match ban, that was suspended. However, he’ll have to serve it if he repeats the infraction over the next 12 months.
Pinnacle SOCCER BETTING LINE – Chelsea vs Aston Villa:
- Pinnacle currently lists Chelsea as the favorites at -1.5 +102 with Aston Villa +1.5 -109
Chelsea vs Aston Villa Head to Head:
- Chelsea took both games against Villa last season with a 2-1 win at Villa Park and a 3-0 triumph at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea has beaten Villa three times in a row at home now and has outscored their opponents 13-1 in that stretch and 24-8 in their past six meetings at Stamford Bridge. Villa has managed at least one goal in their past four league road games and nine in a row dating back to the 2014/15 campaign. The two teams have met 150 times in the past with Chelsea winning 59, losing 57 and drawing the other 34. Villa has won just three of their past 22 meetings overall.
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Chelsea enters the game in unfamiliar territory as they’re in 16th place in the 20-team Premier League with two wins, two draws and four losses for eight points. They’ve scored 12 goals and allowed 17 against. The Blues’ defense has been leaky all season long and the club has won just one game at home to go along with a draw and a pair of defeats. They’ve scored six times and conceded seven at Stamford Bridge so far.
It appeared that Chelsea had turned the corner after winning three straight games in all competitions, but they’ve now gone three matches without a victory. Their last league outing saw them come out on the wrong end of a 3-1 decision to Southampton at Stamford Bridge. Mourinho will have to meet Villa without defender Branislav Ivanovic as he’s expected to miss about three weeks due to injury. Villa’s last match was a 1-0 home defeat to Stoke City.
Aston Villa was lucky to avoid relegation last year and they’ll be lucky if they survive the chop again this season. The Birmingham-based club sits in 18th position with a lone win, a draw and six losses for just four points. They’ve scored eight goals and allowed 13 against. Manager Tim Sherwood’s job is on the line and if he doesn’t start posting some wins on the board he may soon be replaced by former Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers who was fired from Anfield two weeks ago.
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Villa’s only win of the season came on the road, but they’ve lost their other three away fixtures while being outscored 8-6. Their lone victory came on the opening day of the season and they’ve gone winless in seven league outings since then with six of those games being losses. They’ve also tasted defeat four times in a row. Villa did manage one more win this season as they beat cross-town rivals Birmingham City 1-0 in a League Cup (Capital One Cup) match. Villa’s entering this game with three consecutive away losses and a dozen defeats in their past 15 away contests. Sherwood is hoping to have Tiago Ilori, Ciaran Clark, Adama Traore and Gabriel Agbonlahor back in the lineup.
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