Aston Villa vs Chelsea preview, prediction, team news and head-to-head

• Both teams to score

• Over 2.5 goals

• Chelsea to win

Villa's miserable run of form continued on Friday night as they were beaten 2-0 by close rivals Wolves at Molineux, handing Rob Edwards's men only their second league win of the season.

Having won only once in their previous five Premier League matches and sitting 13 points behind league leaders Arsenal, Villa’s title ambitions are almost certainly over, although there is much still to play for.

Now finding themselves in a scrap for a top-five finish, which is likely to earn UEFA Champions League qualification for next season, the immediate objective for Unai Emery's side is certainly to return to winning ways and avoid falling further down the table.

As for Chelsea, they will have another chance to snap their three-match winless run in the Premier League. Draws with Leeds and Burnley ahead of Sunday’s derby loss to Arsenal leave the Blues without a win in the league since they beat Wolves last month, and they will hope to get back to winning ways on return to the Midlands.

Familiar problems undid Chelsea at the Emirates, with Pedro Neto’s red card and suspect defending from corners contributing to the 2-1 loss. Liam Roseniors’ side have slipped to sixth in the Premier League as a result, though they can breathe fresh life into their push to qualify for the Champions League with three points against the Villans.

With the race for Champions League places tightening, this midweek encounter carries added significance for both clubs.

Chelsea are winless in their last two Premier League visits to Villa Park (D1 L1), having won five of their previous six games there prior. The Blues haven’t lost consecutive away league games at Villa since losing in 2002-03 and 2003-04 under Claudio Ranieri.

Having won their last two Premier League matches against Chelsea, Aston Villa are looking for three league wins in a row against the Blues for the first time since a run of four between 1978 and 1984. They are also looking to complete a league double over Chelsea for the first time since the 1989-90 campaign.

Youri Tielemans continues to be a big miss in midfield for Villa, while Boubacar Kamara remains sidelined for the remainder of the campaign with a knee injury. 

It remains to be seen whether Villa’s captain John McGinn returns to the squad, having been absent for six weeks with a knee injury.

Although they welcome Wesley Fofana back from suspension, Chelsea will be without Pedro Neto for their trip to Villa Park after the Portuguese winger was dismissed against Arsenal on Sunday.

Estevao Willian and Jamie Bynoe-Gittens remain out with thigh injuries, although both are expected to return to action within the next fortnight. Dario Essugo is also nearing a return from an injury picked up in January, while Marc Cucurella looks set for a late fitness test to determine his availability for Wednesday's match.

While his long-term rehab is progressing well, Levi Colwill has no doubt left a large hole in the Chelsea defence this season and looks set to be out for the remainder of the campaign.

Aston Villa: Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Torres, Maatsen; Luiz, Onana; Buendia, Rogers, Sancho; Abraham

Chelsea: Sanchez; James, Chalobah, Fofana, Hato; Caicedo, Santos; Palmer, Fernandez, Garnacho; Pedro

Emery's men never fail to deliver a huge performance against the league's best sides at Villa Park, but their recent form is certainly concerning, especially considering the calibre of opponents that they have faced.

And while Chelsea have not been perfect either, Rosenior's tenure so far has been mostly positive, picking up 14 points from his first seven league matches in charge. Chelsea also appear to have slightly stronger availability across key areas and possess the attacking quality to capitalise on transitions, so the result should tip in the Blues' favour.

Correct score prediction: Aston Villa 1-2 Chelsea