| Aston Villa will be without captain Stiliyan Petrov, who has been diagnosed with acute leukaemia. Alan Hutton is out with a calf injury while Charles N'Zogbia will be out for a further month with a knee problem. Midfielder Raul Meireles, who has a knee injury, is Chelsea's only doubt for the trip to Villa. Defender Branislav Ivanovic has recovered from a thigh injury while Ramires has also shaken off a knock. MATCH PREVIEW Football supporters are notoriously a superstitious bunch. The wearing of a pair of lucky pants or the participation in a specific unaltered pre-match routine is common place among fans who steadfastly believe it will somehow affect the outcome of a match. The idea of a bogey side therefore has become a completely acceptable concept - and one which is born, in most cases, from statistical evidence. With that in mind, Chelsea fans have begun to look rather negatively at matches against Aston Villa... and particularly their visits to Villa Park. They're currently on a run of just three wins in the last 12 Premier League duels and could be on the wrong end of a "double" following Villa's shock 3-1 win at Stamford Bridge on New Years Eve. Only once in 13 years have Chelsea emerged victorious from Villa Park, and they weren't even able to win there in any of their three title-winning seasons despite sweeping most others aside. This latest meeting is another which is hard to predict, as both sides' recent league form has been abject. Villa have taken just ... |
