Chelsea heads northwest on Sunday to take on Aston Villa in Premier League Matchday 30 play with Christian Pulisic expected to see the field for Frank Lampard's side. The Blues are in fourth place with 48 points and have a fantastic chance to increase their lead over fifth-place Manchester United with a victory here after the Red Devils drew Tottenham on Friday. On the other side, Villa is staring relegation in the face in 19th place. Villa is just a point back of safety and a point here could be a golden one.
Here's how you can watch the match and what to know:
Viewing information
- Date: Sunday, June 21
- Time: 11:15 a.m. ET
- Location: Villa Park -- Birmingham, England
- TV: NBCSN and Telemundo
- Live stream: fuboTV (Try for free)
- Odds: Chelsea -215: Draw +360: Aston Villa +550 (via William Hill Sportsbook)
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Storylines
Chelsea: Frank Lampard's team's cushion over United would be five points with a victory, but they will need to be sharper this time around. The Blues beat Villa 2-1 in their first meeting in December, but it was much closer than it should have been. The Blues produced 22 shots on the day and had 11 on frame. Villa likes to try and move up the field quickly, so Chelsea has to be a bit cautious when going forward about having to transition to defense on the counter. Expect the Blues to create enough chance to win it comfortably.
Aston Villa: Chelsea's talented attack could have a field day against what is the worst defense in the league, statistically. Villa has conceded 56 goals so far this season in 29 games but are coming off a fortunate cleansheet against Sheffield United. The Lions must play with 10 behind the ball and prioritize a low-scoring draw or this one could get out of hand.
Prediction
The Blues pick up a solid road victory to boost their Champions League chances. Pick: Chelsea 2, Aston Villa 1
