Chris Sutton predicts Chelsea to beat Aston Villa and praises Graham Potter
Speaking to BBC Sport (h/t Football.London), former Chelsea striker turned pundit Chris Sutton predicts the Blues to beat Aston Villa in their next league assignment at Villa Park and praises blues manager Graham Potter.
Chelsea are coming into this game on the back of four consecutive wins in all competitions. They are also on a run of three wins in the league. These results have taken them into the top four in the league and top of their group in the Champions League.
The challenge against Villa is expected to be a tough one though, with Steven Gerrard’s men having already taken a point against Manchester City at home and are unbeaten in their last four matches.
Predicting the result of this game (2-0 to Chelsea) and praising Potter, here’s Sutton (h/t Football.London):
“…the jury is out on Steven Gerrard at the moment. It’s as much to do with Villa’s style of play as their results – that’s becoming a problem but he is hardly likely to change and be expansive against Chelsea, because they will be a nightmare to play against.
“Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is scoring goals and Graham Potter is showing how adaptable he is as a manager. Villa will be under pressure to win at home, and I can see the nerves getting the better of their players.”
The Blues are coming into this game after receiving two bad news on the injury front. Midfielder N’Golo Kante has suffered a recurring hamstring injury, which is not only keeping him out for the remaining games before the World Cup but he is also ruled out of the tournament in Qatar.
Reece James, who picked up a knee injury in the win against AC Milan on Tuesday, is now confirmed to be out for a considerable period of time and will also miss the World Cup.
So, while Potter has done an excellent job so far, it would be a challenge to continue getting results without two of the best players in the Chelsea squad.
Irrespective of that, the form of this team is good with a firing forward line led by Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and a defence well marshalled by Thiago Silva and co. The game at Villa Park should be tough, but the Blues should come out of it with three points.
More Chelsea News:
- Graham Potter reveals how Edouard Mendy has responded to Kepa starting games for Chelsea
- Romano: Joe Shields joining Chelsea as part of the recruitment team is a done deal
- Ben Jacobs claims Chelsea will look to sign Harry Kane from Spurs
Doing so would ensure we go into the week with our noses in front in the race for the top four. It is still early days but being in the UCL spots does the team and its fans a whole world of psychological good.
