Aston Villa host Chelsea in the 4th round of the EFL Cup. Looking back at the last meeting, the two sides ended in a 0-0 draw, and Chelsea's failure to take advantage of their home ground to get a win is undoubtedly contributing to the problem. Considering that Chelsea has won only one of their last seven away games and lost the remaining six, their away performance is in decline, while Villa has won 10 of their last 12 home games, the possibility of Chelsea losing this matchup should not be underestimated. Chelsea are favored to win this matchup. Villa's price of -0.5 on the Asian Handicap is a good bet for the match. (Live on TVB MyTV SUPER at 4am on Thursday)
Chelsea's recent form has been a rollercoaster, with two consecutive league defeats. Although a 1-4 loss to Liverpool can barely be excused as the opponent was too strong, the team's lead in the last match was reversed by Wolves in a 4-2 defeat, which is really hard to justify. No wonder even the wife of the team's centerpiece, Thiago Silva, has joined the ranks of the "anti-Pu" and expects the manager, Putrajit Tino, to step down as soon as possible.
More importantly, Chelsea's failure to beat Villa at home last time seems to have predicted the outcome of this away match. Their backline performance is worrying, especially on the road, and they have conceded in all of their last 9 away matches, so I am afraid it will be difficult for them to keep a clean sheet against Villa this time.
