“It is hard” – Mark Lawrenson predicts winner of Chelsea vs Aston Villa in the Premier League
Football expert Mark Lawrenson has predicted Chelsea will claim a hard-fought 2-0 win over Steven Gerrard's Aston Villa in the Premier League on Boxing Day.
Lawrenson states it is hard to predict games when one is unsure which players are available. However, the BBC pundit believes Chelsea will possess a strong squad. He added that Aston Villa will put up a fight against Chelsea but will eventually fall short, like they did against Manchester City.
In his column for BBC Sport (via Birmingham Mail), Lawrenson wrote:
"It is hard to make a prediction when you don't know who is available for either team, but Chelsea should still be the stronger side. Villa will give it a good go, just as they did when they played Manchester City at Villa Park a few weeks ago. But, like City did, Chelsea should still find a way to win."
Lawrenson backed Chelsea to put together a run of strong results in the Premier League following the disappointing 0-0 draw against Wolverhampton Wanderers. The 64-year-old pundit believes their game against Liverpool next month will be an interesting affair. Lawrenson added:
"It has not been a great few weeks for Thomas Tuchel's side for various reasons - he clearly felt last week's game with Wolves should have been postponed - but I wouldn't be surprised if they put together a bit of a run now. Their game against Liverpool on 2 January is going to be very interesting."
It is worth noting that Chelsea secured a routine 3-0 win against Aston Villa earlier this season. A brace from Romelu Lukaku and a goal from Mateo Kovacic secured all three points for the Blues.
Chelsea will come into their Boxing Day fixture against Aston Villa with some much-needed confidence. The Blues secured a 2-0 win over Brentford in the Carabao Cup to advance to the semi-finals of the tournament.
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Chelsea have fallen behind in the Premier League title race
Chelsea's recent run of form has seen them fall behind the likes of Manchester City and Liverpool in the race for the Premier League title.
The Blues have drawn their last two Premier League matches against Everton and Wolverhampton Wanderers, which sees them trail leaders Manchester City by six points. Thomas Tuchel's side are also three points behind second-placed Liverpool.
January is expected to be crucial to Chelsea's quest for the Premier League title. The Blues are scheduled to face both Liverpool and Manchester City in the opening two weeks of the new year.
Chelsea’s January fixture list…
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