"I've been wrong about them plenty of times this season" - Chris Sutton makes scoreline prediction for Chelsea vs Aston Villa 

BBC Sport columnist Chris Sutton has backed Chelsea to narrowly defeat Aston Villa 2-1 in their upcoming fixture in the fourth round of the FA Cup. The two sides are set to face each other at Stamford Bridge on Friday, January 26.

The Blues are currently in the midst of a good run of form, winning five out of their last six games across all competitions. They recently thrashed Middlesbrough 6-1 in the second leg of the EFL Cup semi-finals to secure their spot in the final and will be confident of defeating the Villans on Friday.

Chelsea comfortably dispatched Preston 4-0 in the third round of the FA Cup to progress. On the other hand, Aston Villa defeated Middlesbrough 1-0. Unai Emery and Co. have won their last two away games against the Blues and will be looking to make it three in a row for the first time since December 1960.

Despite Aston Villa's recent statistical dominance, Sutton has predicted Chelsea to win. He wrote (via BBC Sport):

"The cups offer a way for Chelsea to save their season and they are already in the final of the Carabao Cup after beating Middlesbrough. Mauricio Pochettino's side have been getting better, it's just not the momentous rise we expected."

He added:

"Chelsea can't afford not to go full pelt at this game but Aston Villa might be thinking about the top four, and Tuesday's game with Newcastle. I'd love to see Villa give it a real go in the FA Cup as well because they have been excellent this season but I don't know how Unai Emery will approach it."

"All of this is making me think that Chelsea will edge it but I have been wrong about them plenty of times this season already."

Sutton's Prediction: 2-1

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Mauricio Pochettino praises Chelsea star ahead of Aston Villa clash

Mauricio Pochettino has lauded Cole Palmer ahead of his side's FA Cup fixture against Aston Villa.

The west London outfit signed Palmer on a seven-year deal from Manchester City over the summer for a reported transfer fee of £40 million. The 21-year-old has flourished at Stamford Bridge to date, posting 13 goals and seven assists in 26 appearances across all competitions.

During the pre-match press conference, Pochettino stated (via Fooball.london):

"We are optimistic always when we sign a player. It's true he's doing fantastic. After six or seven months, he's doing a very good job. We're so happy with his impact. Always you expect when you sign a player that he can perform and help the team. He is helping the team to achieve things that we wanted."

Palmer was instrumental in the Blues' 6-1 win against Middlesbrough earlier this week, scoring a stellar brace to help his side book a spot in the EFL Cup final.