Can Chelsea be able to stop Aston Villa’s winning streak?
By Tanko Bauka
Aston Villa have taken the Premier League by storm, winning ten straight matches in a row for the first time in the club’s history.
The first time Aston Villa had it so good was when they won six straight matches in a row but they have now surpassed that record and are still counting as this weekend Aston Villa under the tutelage of Unai Emery who has practically turned their fortunes around, travel to London where they will take on the Club World Cup Champion Chelsea at the Stamford bridge stadium to continue their impressive run as they seek to overhaul the league leader Arsenal.
Chelsea is a youthful team with a lot of inexperienced players, which lacks the mental strength to perform at the highest level week in and week out, and the lack of depth in the squad has severely affected the performance of the club in the league with inconsistent results, which has retarded the progress of Chelsea.
This week’s Stamford Bridge showdown between Chelsea and Aston Villa is the standout match of the week, and both teams know what is at stake and need to avoid any form of complacency as the gap between them and those teams behind is not much with Sunderland, Crystal Palace, Liverpool or Manchester United prowling to pounce.
Manchester United have come under heavy criticism following poor results even though the performance of Ruben Amorim has improved significantly but the Old Trafford need to start producing positive results to salvage what is left of their season if they are to play continental football next year and the right time to start getting result is now as they prepared to welcome Eddie Howe’s Newcastle United that have also underperformed especially away from Saint James’ Park.
The league leader Arsenal faced with multiple injuries crisis have been finding it very difficult to break down teams especially teams that defend in block and the Gunners as in the last three seasons always falter whenever it matters and many believe that after finishing second for three consecutive seasons it is time to step up for the biggest challenge but indication and early signs are that Mikel Arteta boys will bungle yet another glorious opportunity are very glaring and can be seen on the wall.
What is left to be seen this time around is the mental strength and how Arsenal navigate the complex task ahead, deal with the challenge and grab the opportunity with an open hand.
Arsenal will be at the Emirate Stadium in London to welcome Brighton Albion and Hove while Manchester City closely on the heels of Arsenal would be on the road to confront Nothingham Forest and with Erling Haaland firing from all cylinders, this is one match the Pep Guardiola boys cannot afford to lose but Sean Dyche since taking over at Nothingham Forest seems to have the magic wand as he was able to turn things around as he has brought smile to the faces of the club supporters.
The only club enjoying their return to life in the top league is Sunderland churning out positive results week in week out have Leeds United this weekend to add to the list of their victims as they prepare to go all out against the Elland Road landlord’s but however, Leeds United have improved tremendously in recent encounters and cannot be a pushover.
Fulham will lay an ambush for West Ham United at Craven Cottage in what looks like a London Derby that both teams need the results to go their way.
Liverpool, recovering from a bad spell of poor results, will test their might against relegation-bound Wolves, which are yet to find a solution to their poor start to the league, as they remain the only club yet to record a single win this season.
Burnley hosts Everton while Brentford entertain AFC Bournemouth as Crystal Palace battles Tottenham Hotspur at Selhurst Park.
In the Italian Serie A, Parma tackle Fiorentina, as Torino confront Cagliari, with Lacce and Como slugging it out.
Udinese take on Lazio while Pisa SC welcome Juventus, as Hellas Verona travel to battle AC Milan, with Cremonese tackling the defending Champion Napoli, and Bologna host Sassuolo.
AS Roma welcome Genoa with the star match for the week being the encounter between Atalanta and Inter Milan.
The Spanish La Liga and the German Bundesliga are currently on Christmas break.
English Barclays Premier League
Friday
Manchester United vs Newcastle
Saturday
Nottingham vs Manchester City
West Ham United vs Fulham
Liverpool vs Wolves
Burnley vs Everton
Brentford vs AFC Bournemouth
Arsenal vs Brighton Albion
Chelsea vs Aston Villa
Sunday
Sunderland vs Leeds United
Crystal Palace vs Tottenham
Italian Serie A
Saturday
Parma vs Fiorentina
Torino vs Cagliari
Lacce vs Como
Udinese vs Lazio
Pisa SC vs Juventus
Sunday
AC Milan vs Hellas Verona
Cremonese vs Napoli
Bologna vs Sassuolo
Atalanta vs Inter Milan
Monday
AS Roma vs Genoa
