Chelsea vs. Aston Villa: Preview, Live Stream, Start Time and More

Both teams have struggled recently, but Saturday's match between Chelsea and Aston Villa could be one of the week's best.

When they met on New Year's Eve, Chelsea surrendered two goals in the final 10 minutes to end 2011 in the worst possible way. Now, they'll be seeking revenge.

They're coming off a 2-1 defeat to Manchester City and a scoreless draw against Tottenham, but a match against Aston Villa is exactly what they need to get back on track. Villa just got blown out against Arsenal in a match where they failed to get a shot on goal and maintained possession just 22 percent of the time.

Where: Villa Park, Birmingham, England

When: Saturday March 31, 10 AM EST

Watch: The match will be streaming live at foxsoccer2go.com 

Player to Watch for Aston Villa:  Gabriel Agbonlahor, Forward

With leading scorer Darren Bent out with an ankle injury, a massive burden is placed on Agbonlahor. The 25-year-old forward leads the team in assists (five) and is second in goals (five). If Villa is going to have any chance at winning, he will need to actively challenge Chelsea's defenders throughout the match.

Player to Watch for Chelsea: Fernando Torres, Forward 

Torres awoke from his goal-scoring slumber last week against Leicester City, ripping off two goals in the last 25 minutes. In the next match against Man City, he shaped the defense beautifully before being subbed out for Didier Drogba. Chelsea then gave up two quick goals.

And against Tottenham, Torres wasn't subbed in until the 76th minute, but in his short time on the field he provided the only spark Chelsea had seen all game.

It appears Torres has finally been reborn, as he's once again found the killer instinct that made him a menace for so many years. Don't be surprised if he shreds Villa's defense to bits on Saturday.

Key Matchup: Drogba and Torres vs. Villa's defenders

With Bent out, Villa has little hope of pressuring Chelsea's back line of David Luiz, John Terry and Gary Cahill. That means they'll have to keep Chelsea scoreless if they don't want to lose this match.

Unfortunately, they'll be short-handed, as Alan Hutton is sidelined with a calf injury. Look for Chelsea's lethal forwards to take advantage of Villa's defense, similarly to how Arsenal did just a few days ago.

What They're Saying

James Nursey of mirrorfootball.co.uk writes that Villa defender Carlos Cuellar had a stern warning for his teammates.

"

Aston Villa's Carlos Cuellar says they must cut out defensive mistakes or risk being sucked into a relegation battle. Villa are 15th in the Premier League, eight points above the bottom three, ahead of Saturday's visit by Chelsea, which is followed by a trip to Liverpool.

They are just off the back of a disappointing 3-0 reverse at Arsenal and have now won just once in eight games.

"We were very disappointed—everyone is gutted. It was very frustrating for the whole team, and for the defenders in particular," Cuellar said. 

"

The Daily Star notes that Chelsea has a tough schedule due to multiple competitions, and coach Roberto Di Matteo is frustrated that the game times cannot be adjusted.

"

Chelsea are facing seven matches in 20 days and, asked if Premier League teams should be allowed to play Friday nights before European games, Di Matteo said:

“Absolutely, yes. Because the other federations, they do tend to help their teams to be able to perform as good as possible in Europe. It just doesn’t seem to be happening in England.”

"

Prediction

Chelsea 2, Aston Villa 0

I'm expecting Chelsea to come out aggressive as they look to exploit Villa's injury-laden squad. Torres looks like he's headed for another peak in his roller-coaster career, and I wouldn't be surprised at all if he nets multiple goals on Saturday.

Chelsea has also conceded just one goal in the last seven matches that John Terry has started. With their leading scorer sidelined, things look bleak for Villa.