Latest Aston Villa news from BirminghamLive as Unai Emery’s side head to Stamford Bridge this weekend
Paul Merson believes Chelsea’s pace in attack could cause Aston Villa problems in the sides’ Premier League meeting this Sunday (2pm).
Villa will head to Stamford Bridge looking to build on their 3-1 win over Crystal Palace. Prior to this weekend’s clash however, Unai Emery’s men will begin their European campaign with a tie in Poland against Legia Warsaw.
Chelsea on the other hand, haven’t had the start they hoped for after winning just once. They are currently 14th, having claimed five points.
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Despite Chelsea’s struggles so far, Merson believes they will come away with a point on home soil, as he predicted a 1-1 draw.
“Chelsea have been nowhere close to their best this season and are coming on the back of another disappointing draw against Bournemouth,” Merson told SportsKeeda. “Still, from box to box, they actually carved the Cherries open and played well between the lines.
“Their performance wasn’t as bad as everyone made it out to be – they looked good on the night but just didn’t manage to put the ball into the back of the net. Nicolas Jackson is currently struggling, but I rate him highly and wouldn’t worry about him in the long term.
“The kid has just come into a new team and is adapting to a new league, so he’s still very much a work in progress. The problem for Mauricio Pochettino is that with Christopher Nkunku out injured, he doesn’t have the option of taking Jackson out of the firing line.
“Chelsea have enough pace up front and could hurt Villa’s high line, but I think this game will end all square.”
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