After taking part in to a 0-0 draw two weeks in the past, Aston Villa and Chelsea meet once more on Wednesday for an FA Cup replay to determine the fourth-round tie. Each have already superior additional than they did a yr in the past however enter the matchup in very completely different circumstances. Villa are in the course of the Premier League’s top-four race and will add a deep FA Cup run to an already spectacular season. As for Chelsea, they will use the cup competitors as a distraction from an underwhelming first season beneath Mauricio Pochettino, very like they’ve with their run to the EFL Cup closing.
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The best way to watch and odds
- Date: Wednesday, Feb. 7 | Time: 3 p.m. ET
- Location: Villa Park — Birmingham, England
- Dwell stream: ESPN+
- Odds: Aston Villa +115; Draw +275; Chelsea +245
Storylines
Aston Villa: Unai Emery’s facet are nonetheless top-of-the-line in England, however their latest kind has been a bit spotty. They’ve simply two wins of their final 5 and out of doors of Saturday’s 5-0 win over Sheffield United, scored simply two extra objectives throughout that stretch. They’ll nonetheless be favored over Chelsea contemplating the opposition’s curler coaster of a season, particularly with their high skills like Ollie Watkins, who has 11 objectives and 10 assists in Premier League play up to now this season.
Chelsea: The Blues even have simply two wins of their final 5, but it surely looks like they’ve been plunged into one more disaster this season after a 4-1 loss to Liverpool and a 4-2 defeat to Wolverhampton Wanderers within the final week. The excellent news for Pochettino is that a lot of his mainstays can be accessible for the sport together with Cole Palmer, who’s as much as 10 objectives within the Premier League this season, however the large query is: Which Chelsea will truly present up?
Prediction
Chelsea have it in them to play a traditional sport, however their inconsistent kind even on their finest days means that is Villa’s tie to lose. Anticipate the hosts to get the job executed, even when it’s not as lopsided as Chelsea’s latest losses. Decide: Aston Villa 2, Chelsea 1
