Chelsea's Red Card Crisis Heads to Villa Park
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- Chelsea visit Aston Villa on Wednesday (March 4, 2:30 p.m. ET) at Villa Park, streaming on Peacock, with the Blues installed as +138 favorites despite sitting sixth — six points behind Villa — and entering on a three-match Premier League winless streak under new manager Liam Rosenior.
- Chelsea have accumulated seven red cards in Premier League play this season, just two shy of the joint all-time record held by QPR (2011-12) and Sunderland (2009-10), and will be without Pedro Neto after he was sent off in last weekend's loss to Arsenal.
- Aston Villa have cooled sharply with only one win in their last five Premier League matches, falling out of the title race and leaving Wednesday's match critical for their own Champions League qualification push.
- Cole Palmer has gone four consecutive matches in all competitions without scoring from open play, while Ollie Watkins has not found the net in six straight matches — a slump England manager Thomas Tuchel is monitoring ahead of the international break.
- Both clubs must also balance midweek Premier League fixtures against looming FA Cup and Champions League commitments, raising the stakes on a result that could reshape the top-four race.
Why it matters: Chelsea's seven red cards are two short of the all-time Premier League season record, and their visit to Villa — six points ahead in the table — offers a chance to reset a three-match winless streak that has dropped them from the top four to sixth. With Thomas Tuchel monitoring two of his key England forwards in scoring droughts, the result carries weight for both club Champions League qualification and the national team's forward options.
