Chelsea’s home meeting with Aston Villa this weekend is set up as a measured but important test of both sides’ direction as the Premier League season turns towards its second half. Both teams have Champions League football in their sights, but both will also feel as though they have an outside chance of contesting the title race.
Chelsea approach the game in the midst of a season shaped by transition, with a young squad still bedding in under continued high expectations. Their campaign has contained spells of promising attacking play alongside occasional inconsistency, reflected in a league position that keeps them in touch with the European places but short of the leading pack.
Aston Villa, meanwhile, continue to build on recent years of steady improvement, entering the festive period as an established top-four side with ambitions of securing European qualification again. Their underlying numbers show a well-balanced team, but many stats-inclined analysts feel as though their position is somewhat false and not reflective of their performance levels. This is an annoyance to many Villa fans, and they'll be hoping their team shut a few voices up with a win at Stamford Bridge this weekend.
Based on that, then, we've picked out a 50/1 mega bet builder tip for Saturday's game. Scroll down to see our selections!
