Paul Merson has made his prediction for Chelsea’s trip to Aston Villa on Saturday night.
Chelsea’s deeply frustrating season continued in its dreary death march this past week as their only chance of winning a trophy was put to bed.
Mauricio Pochettino’s side were beaten 1-0 by Manchester City in the FA Cup semi-final before they were then humiliated 5-0 by London rivals Arsenal.
Though many want the season to be over already, Chelsea do still have something to play for in the final six Premier League matches.
Though they may not want the added commitment of Thursday night football, Chelsea could still qualify for either the Europa Conference League or the Europa League.
But they will have to get back to winning ways soon, starting with Aston Villa.
Unai Emery’s side pose a dangerous threat, though, having already won at Stamford Bridge earlier this season and they are still fighting for a Champions League spot.
Paul Merson has now given his prediction on how the game will go.
Paul Merson makes his Aston Villa vs Chelsea prediction
Writing in Sportskeeda, Merson does not expect it to be a good night for Chelsea.
He wrote: “I don’t see anything but an Aston Billa win and three points here will take them a major step closer to UEFA Champions League football next season.
“Chelsea were hammered in midweek by Arsenal and I just can’t see them putting up a fight even if Cole Palmer returns to the team.”
Merson then gave his score prediction as Aston Villa 3-1 Chelsea.
Cole Palmer is set to return
If there’s one piece of good news for Chelsea it is that Cole Palmer is set to return for the match.
The star of the season missed the Arsenal defeat due to illness and his absence was keenly felt, with Chelsea only managing to muster one shot on target without him.
Palmer is the Premier League’s top goal scorer alongside Erling Haaland with 20 and it’s already clear he is the side’s most important player, with Pochettino admitting they struggle without him.
The Argentine said in his pre-match press conference: “Cole is a very good player for us and he is a key player. He is showing we struggle a little bit without him.
“That is the reality we cannot hide.”
However, Christopher Nkunku, Enzo Fernandez, Reece James, Ben Chilwell, Levi Colwill, Romeo Lavia, Wesley Fofana, Raheem Sterling, Robert Sanchez, Malo Gusto, Carney Chukwuemeka and Lesley Ugochukwu all remain sidelined.
