Aston Villa vs Chelsea preview: Prediction, live, TV schedule, team news and betting odds
Chelsea will be confident of returning from the international break with a win when they travel to play relegation battlers Aston Villa on Saturday - a club who this week parted ways with their manager Remi Garde.
The Frenchman, who was appointed in November, left Villa by mutual consent after overseeing just two wins and six league draws during his time in charge of the club, which has kept the club rock bottom of the top-flight standings.
With the Blues already having beaten Villa this season, Guus Hiddink's side will now be confident of securing another victory over the club at the weekend, although Villa's temporary coach Eric Black will be looking for his side to produce a performance in front of their own fans.
Date, time and venue
Villa host Chelsea on Saturday 2 April at Villa Park. The game kicks off at 12.45pm.
Where to watch
The match will be shown live on BT Sport 1 from midday, but Standard Sport will have all the build-up, action and reaction as it happens in our live blog from 11.45am onwards.
Last five matches
Chelsea 2 West Ham 2 (19/03/2016)
Everton 2 Chelsea 0 (12/03/2016)
Chelsea 1 Paris Saint-Germain 2 (09/03/2016)
Chelsea 1 Stoke 1 (05/03/2016)
Norwich 1 Chelsea 2 (01/03/2016)
Team news and probable line ups
Hiddink will be without long-term absentee Kurt Zouma and Eden Hazard, who stayed at Cobham during the international break to recover from a hip problem.
Diego Costa was also left out of the Spain squad over concerns about a minor tendon issue, but will be suspended for the trip to take on Villa.
Meanwhile, Villa could welcome back Micah Richards (groin) as well as Jack Grealish (ankle) and Adama Traore (foot) for Saturday, with the latter two returning to training this week.
Villa possible starting XI: Guzan, Hutton, Richards, Lescott, Cissokho, Veretout, Westwood, Gueye, Gil, Gestede, Ayew.
Chelsea possible starting XI: Courtois, Ivanovic, Terry, Cahill, Azpilicueta, Mikel, Fabregas, Pedro, Oscar, Willian, Traore.
What they’re saying
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Prediction
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Betting odds (Bet Victor)
Aston Villa win: 6/1
Chelsea win: 4/7
Draw: 31/10
Odds provided by Bet Victor. To place a bet, click here.
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