This should be quite an entertaining game, Villa come into the clash having won each of their last 10 matches across all competitions - with 2+ goals landing in nine of these games. The only game in which Villa failed to cover this line themselves, was a 1-0 win over Wolves which was a scrappy contest.

Chelsea have seen 2+ goals in four of their last five matches across all competitions, with the exception of a 0-0 draw against Bournemouth. The Blues have seen 19 goals across their eight matches at Stamford Bridge this term (2.3 per game) but Chelsea have only managed to win four of these games, opening the door for Villa to extend their incredible winning run.

Villa’s eight away matches in the Premier League have produced 23 goals (2.8 per game) with Unai Emery’s side being a bit stronger on the road than they were last season, losing just two of their eight away matches. 

Recent head to head meetings also offer promise when looking to back goals in this clash, with each of the last four head to head clashes between the sides producing at least two goals. 

Reece James is now a permanent fixture in midfield for Chelsea, which means that we can explore a few more betting angles for him than we could when he was a right back - namely shots and fouls won.

James has won 17 fouls across his 12 starts in the Premier League this season (1.38 per 90) which is already more fouls than he won across the entirety of last season (11 - 0.93 per 90). He’s a very tough man to knock off the ball, and will have quite a few Villa players that could bring him to the ground.

James was fouled three times in Chelsea’s most recent Premier League game at Stamford Bridge as they ran out 2-0 winners over Everton. No player won more fouls on that occasion, and James’ potential battle against Tielemans, Onana and Kamara really stands out to me here.

Villa play with their forwards tucked in, creating quite a narrow shape so we can expect James to constantly have bodies around him - increasing the chances of him being hauled to the ground. His main opponent is likely to be Youri Tielemans who is averaging 1.84 fouls committed per 90 in the Premier League this season and has committed a foul in each of his last five Premier League starts.

Matty Cash has been a reliable performer for Villa this season and is encouraged to get forward and hold the width by Unai Emery, making him a good player to watch to win fouls in this clash.

Cash has won 16 fouls across his 17 Premier League appearances this term (0.96 per 90) and has been fouled in two of his last five Premier League matches. Aston Villa are the most fouled side in the Premier League this season, winning nearly 14 fouls per game - offering promise ahead of a clash against a side that can be very petulant.

Chelsea committed 14 fouls and picked up six yellow cards in their most recent Premier League assignment against Newcastle, highlighting the aggression they could approach this game with. Cash’s main opponents here are likely to be Garnacho and Cucurella who combine to commit 2.13 fouls per 90 in the Premier League this season.

Cash is likely to brush shoulders with Cucurella on quite a few occasions here as he is encouraged to push high up the pitch and offer width for Villa. This could also be worth watching from a tactical perspective, as Cucurella also likes to push up and occupy the left half space - so there could be a few recovery challenges made by both players when they are caught out of position.

Aston Villa have had 3+ shots on target in each of their last nine Premier League matches, and in 13 of their 17 matches overall in the top flight. The only reason as to why this record isn’t even stronger is due to Villa’s slow start to the campaign - all four instances where Villa failed to cover this line came in the first eight matches of the season.

Chelsea have conceded 3+ shots on target in 10 of their 17 matches in the Premier League this season, and I’d expect them to come under serious pressure at points in this game with the confidence that Villa are currently playing with. Chelsea conceded five shots on target against Newcastle last time out, and looked particularly vulnerable in transition - which is where Villa thrive.

Aston Villa had four shots on target in this fixture last season, despite losing 3-0 on that occasion. They also covered this line very comfortably in the most recent head to head clash with Villa having six shots on target in a 2-1 victory over Chelsea at Villa Park. 

Wesley Fofana is one of the most aggressive centre backs in the Premier League with the Chelsea defender committing a foul in each of his last five Premier League matches. He’s committed 2+ fouls in three of these games, with this record earning him a yellow card against Everton in Chelsea’s last home game.

This is actually the only caution that Fofana has picked up this season, which is surprising given his foul numbers this term. However, we know that Fofana is capable of testing the patience of the referee from his record in the Premier League last season - where he picked up seven yellow cards across just 14 starts in the top flight.

Aston Villa win more fouls than any other side in the Premier League, and draw quite a few cards from their opponents as a result. Unai Emery’s side have drawn a card from their opponents in all 17 of their Premier League matches this season, drawing 2+ cards in 13 of these games. 

Morgan Rogers is in scintillating form right now and added another two goals to his tally against Manchester United last weekend, with both being wonderful strikes to earn Villa all three points. Rogers actually started the campaign really slowly, as did Villa on the whole, but has grown into the season and is now one of the form players in the league.

Rogers has registered 10 goal contributions across his 17 appearances in the Premier League (7 goals, 3 assists). He’s always been a creative asset, but now he’s added goals more regularly to his game with Rogers now within one goal of the tally he registered in the Premier League last season. He comes into this clash having netted a brace against both West Ham and Manchester United, so he should be full of confidence.

One thing that is worth noting with Rogers is that he only has an xG of 2.85 in the Premier League this season. This tells us that Rogers likes to take on speculative efforts, and often benefits from doing so, as a quick glance over his goal catalogue this season would further confirm. 

Enzo Fernandez changed the game when he came on against Newcastle last weekend, Chelsea were desperately missing a bit of composure in midfield and Fernandez provided that, creating two chances and making two passes into the final third in his cameo which lasted around 30 minutes.

There aren’t many leaders in this Chelsea side so it is notable when one of them doesn’t play, though Fernandez should come back into the starting frame here given his impact on the side when he came on at St James’ Park. Fernandez’s shot numbers have been really positive this season with Maresca transforming him into a box crasher, in an attempt to give Chelsea more of a goal threat from other areas of the park.

This has been effective with Fernandez netting four goals in the Premier League so far this season - just two goals away from the tally he registered last campaign. He’s had 32 shots across these matches (2.11 per 90) with 15 of these efforts finding the target (0.99 per 90). He’s actually underperforming his xG at the moment (6.18) but this strengthens the argument that Fernandez is operating more regularly in the final third this season.