"I am not going to make that mistake again" - Chris Sutton makes score prediction for game between Chelsea and Aston Villa
Chris Sutton has predicted that Aston Villa will hold Chelsea to a 1-1 draw this weekend at Stamford Bridge. Both sides have lost twice this season, but the Villans have won thrice, while the Blues have won just once.
In his weekly prediction column for BBC, Sutton said that while Villa are yet to hit the heights of last season, scoring goals is not a problem for them. He also rued backing Chelsea too many times last season and vowed not to make the same mistake again. He wrote:
"Aston Villa are yet to hit the heights we saw when they were in their pomp under Unai Emery last season, but they are still a good side. They came back well to beat Crystal Palace last week and, unlike Chelsea, finding the net is not a problem for them."
"I wrongly backed Chelsea to turn things around too many times last season, and I am not going to make that mistake again. It actually would not surprise me if Villa nicked this, to add to Mauricio Pochettino's problems at Stamford Bridge, but I am going to go for a draw - which probably means Chelsea will win!"
The two sides met thrice last season, including a friendly just before the restart following the break for the FIFA World Cup. Chelsea won 2-0 at Villa Park in October while the Villans returned the favor with a 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge in April.
While Chelsea have won 13 of the last 17 Premier League encounters between the sides, and lead the head-to-head at Stamford Bridge 17-5, Aston Villa won this fixture last season. The Villans haven't managed back-to-back away league wins versus the Blues since a run of three from 1930 to 1933. They are, however, unbeaten in all four Premier League games in London under Unai Emery and have scored 21 goals across competitions this season, compared with Chelseas's seven.
Paul Merson also predicts draw between Chelsea and Aston Villa
Paul Merson believes Chelsea have what it takes to win games despite their poor start to the season. However, he has also backed Aston Villa to get a draw against Mauricio Pochettino's side this weekend.
In his weekly prediction on Sportskeeda, the pundit said:
"Chelsea have been nowhere close to their best this season and are coming on the back of another disappointing draw against Bournemouth. Still, from box to box, they actually carved the Cherries open and played well between the lines."
"Their performance wasn't as bad as everyone made it out to be - they looked good on the night but just didn't manage to put the ball into the back of the net. Chelsea have enough pace up front and could hurt Villa's high line, but I think this game will end all square."
The Blues have had a week off as they are not involved in European football. Aston Villa were beaten 3-2 by Legia Warszawa in the UEFA Europa Conference League on Thursday (September 21).