Overview
Unai Emery's army seems to be in a state of "invincibility". Aston Villa have won all 10 of their most recent matches in all competitions and will equal the club's all-time record with 11 consecutive wins if they continue their story in this match.
If only counting in the professional football system, it has been more than a century since Villa last had such an impressive winning streak. In the Premier League alone, they have won 7 consecutive matches. The last time Villa had a longer winning streak in the top flight was in 1910 (9 matches).
Villa also "sold out" when traveling to the capital London recently. Under Emery, they have won 12 of their 21 Premier League away games against the Londoners (losing five), more than the total in their previous 59 games (11 wins, 10 draws, 38 losses).
On the other hand, Chelsea have had more problems in recent seas when hosting Villa in London. After scoring in 21 consecutive Premier League home games against Villans between December 1998 and September 2021 (a total of 50 goals), Chelsea have failed to score in two of their last three meetings. The two teams also drew 0-0 in an FA Cup match in west London in 2024.
The strange thing is, if Chelsea have any advantage in this match, it is probably because Villa have a better Premier League season than them. Under Enzo Maresca, Chelsea are unbeaten in three Premier League games this season against the teams above them: 2-1 against Liverpool, 1-0 against Tottenham and 1-1 with Arsenal.
However, there are signs that the Blues sometimes stumble in "easy" matches. In addition to the recent defeat to Leeds, they have lost 2 home matches in the Premier League this season, when Brighton (3-1) and Sunderland (2-1) left Stamford Bridge with a victory.
If they lose this match, Chelsea will lose more home Premier League games this season than Maresca's first full season 2024-2025 (2 games). The prospect of an Aston Villa team "in form" implementing a tight game could be what Chelsea need to test their mettle.
A big problem for Chelsea is not having a stable enough striker like the top teams often have. Their two best scorers in the Premier League this season - Pedro Neto and Joao Pedro - have only scored 5 goals each. After 17 Premier League games, only three times in Chelsea's top scorer's history have fewer goals: four in 2022-23 and three in 2015-2016, and four in 1995-96.
On the other side of the front line, from mocking applause to applause, Morgan Rogers is increasingly confident in showing his qualities. He could become the third Villa player to score two or more goals in three consecutive Premier League appearances, after Dean Saunders (1992) and Dion Dublin (1998).
Rogers has also been directly involved in more goals than anyone else in the Premier League in the first 17 rounds of the season (7 goals, 3 assists).
Head-to-head record
Last season, both teams took advantage of their home advantage when facing each other in the Premier League. Chelsea won 3-0 at Stamford Bridge thanks to goals from Nicolas Jackson, Enzo Fernandez and Cole Palmer.
Notably, Aston Villa have previously been unbeaten in four away matches in all competitions. In contrast, Chelsea are also unbeaten in their last four trips to Villa Park before last season. Therefore, recent encounters between the two teams have rarely really favoured the home team.
If we had to point out one factor that made the difference, it was likely Unai Emery. Under the Spaniard, Villa have won three of their five Premier League games against Chelsea ( losing just one). That's equal to their total of 20 wins against the Blues before Emery's arrival - a period in which Villa lost 14 games.
Score prediction: Chelsea 2-3 Aston Villa
The match between Chelsea and Aston Villa takes place at 0:30 am on December 28 (Vietnam time).
