English Premier League

Top 10 Most Expensive Flops in Soccer in 2022

Published

3 years ago

June 23, 2022

90minsoccer

Table of Contents

Money makes the world of sport go round, this is why many brands crave partnership with the big teams as a way to further popularize and foster their business.

In this article we shall be unraveling the top 10 most expensive flops in soccer and we know you must be praying your team should not be among them, but trust me no club will escape it as no manager is a magician to be able to decipher a flop from a distance.

Most times football lovers and fans of various football clubs around the globe believe that the more expensive a player, the better his performance. Unfortunately, not all big-money signings turn out successful in their new club. Some may require more than a season to prove their worth while others never did.

In football, spending big does not guarantee success. 90minsoccer outlined below, some of the top 10 biggest transfers in football that later turned out to be outrageously costly mistakes.

Read Also:

Why Are They Big Money Flops in Soccer

The reason why some football players are called expensive or big-money flops in football is due to the singular fact that every player signed into a club at a mouth-watering sum is expected to deliver as such player is seen as an asset to the club.

Some of these expensive players did well to impress in their first season but end up meeting their waterloo in the following season or two. Without wasting much of your time let’s dive into the top most expensive flops in soccer in the world today.

13. Zlatan Ibrahimovic

Transfer: Inter – Barcelona (2009)

Zlatan Ibrahimovic is the first in our net. The Swedish striker is known and loved by football fans for his pride and ego in front of the microphone as he was never careful in choosing his words when being interviewed.

He is a genius and an absolute legend of the game of football. However, his move to Barcelona in 2019 almost ruined his career as he had a most embarrassing outing bad enough to land him among the top 15 flops in soccer.

It can be recalled that Barca didn’t just pay Inter a whooping €69.5m (£59m/$75m) for Ibrahimovic, but also added their 2009 Champions League hero Samuel Eto’o alongside the cash to ensure they landed the ace striker at Camp Nuo. A deal they will forever regret.

Embarrassingly, Ibrahimovic was able to net only 21 goals in all competitions but was all over the media for the wrong purpose as the world of football witnessed the greatest personality clash in football history.

The Swede had countless rifts with the then Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola after Ibrahimovic accused him of having “no balls” and “sh*tting himself” in front of his former boss Jose Mourinho.

12. Romelu Lukaku: Everton – Man Utd (2017)

Romelu Lukaku is very unfortunate when it comes to the transfer market business. This becomes evident as the striker appeared twice on our list of top flops in soccer in the world.

Romelu Lukaku’s predicament first started at Old Trafford when the Belgian joined Manchester United in 2017 from Everton for a bank-breaking fee of £75m ($94m).

It was surprising and no one expected it as the Belgium international had proven himself in the Premier League while playing with both West Brom and Everton.

Lukaku’s first season at Old Trafford wasn’t bad at all as the ace striker scored 10 goals in his first nine appearances for Manchester United, breaking Bobby Charlton’s legendary record at the club.

However, during his second season at Manchester, Lukaku began to struggle to find the back of the net. After he finally managed to end a 12-game drought under Jose Mourinho, Lukaku was unlucky as the change of manager of the club also mean a change in playing time for the striker. Lukaku saw less and less playing time under the new Norwegian manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

While Lukaku feels he was disrespected and poorly treated by the Norwegian, many United fans, including Gary Neville, believe he was not good enough to lead the Manchester United attack line.

11. Kepa Arizabalaga: Athletic Club – Chelsea (2018)

Kepa Arizabalaga became the world’s most expensive goalkeeper in football following his record-breaking £72m moves from the Spanish side Athletic club to Chelsea.

It was expected that Kepa will be efficient and emerge the best goalkeeper but the reverse was the case. Since the arrival of Edouard Mendy whose price was one-third of Kepa’s fee, Kepa became a second choice option for the blues.

According to reports, Kepa is likely to exit the club this summer with the next destination yet to be announced. Meanwhile, his stay at Chelsea will forever be remembered for his Carabao Cup drama.

Back in 2019, Kepa shamefully refused to be substituted in the Carabao final which ought not to be so of any player irrespective of the reasons attached. Also in 2022, Kepa made an embarrassing out in the Carabao Cup final against Liverpool where he failed to make a single save during the penalty shoot-out and was also responsible for their loss as he bulleted his spot-kick into space.

9. Nicolas Pepe: Lille – Arsenal (2019)

In 2019 Arsenal took a bold step of breaking their bank to splash a whooping £72m ($90m) to sign Nicolas Pepe from Lille. Upon his arrival, everyone believed he is going to perform as expected considering his blissful career at Lille in the French Ligue 1.

At the end of the 2021-22 season, Arsenal fans were singing praises of their unsung hero, but his glory days never last long. He gradually started struggling to find the back of the net, thereby losing his place in the starting eleven of the team.

However, Pepe managed to score one goal in the 2021-22 campaign, as his place in the starting line-up has long been taken by younger and better players.

8. James Rodriguez: Monaco – Real Madrid (2014)

Real Madrid’s interest in James Rodriguez started when the club’s President Florentino Perez picked interest in the young skillful Colombian during Colombia’s quarter-finals display in the 2014 World Cup.

Coincidentally, the attacking midfielder has had a keen interest in playing for the Los Blancos someday. When interest came from the Spanish giants, James’s move to the Santiago Bernabeu became inevitable.

James Rodriguez joined the Galacticos for a record fee of €80m (£68m/$86m) from Monaco, a move most football lovers believed will be worth the spending considering the ability of the midfielder to convert goals from unimaginable positions.

No doubt, their guess was right, during his first season at Madrid, James lived up to expectations as he nets in 17 goals in all competitions in the 2014-15 campaign as a midfielder.

However, the arrival of Zinedine Zidane as the new coach of the club in 2016 marked a crucial turning point in Madrid’s modern history, but also dent James’s career at Bernabeu.

James rarely featured in games under the Frenchman, it can be recalled that at a time Zidane claimed that James had asked not to be included in a game against Athletic Club.

James ended up playing a chunk part of his career on loan at Bayern Munich, his final season at Munich saw him feature in only 8 games and later exit the club as a free agent.

flops in soccer / flops in football / most expensive flops in soccer

7. Romelu Lukaku: Inter – Chelsea (2021)

Lukaku is one unlucky player in the transferred business as he appears again on the top 7 most expensive flops in football. The heavy-weight striker had a fine form at Inter and decided to return to England, this time around to Chelsea which he said he has returned to complete the “unfinished business” in Chelsea.

Romelu Luka signed for Chelsea for a record fee of £97.5m ($119m) from the Italian side Inter Milan. In his first season at Stamford Bridge looks like the Belgian attacker meant every word he said before returning to Chelsea, as he finished the 2020-21 campaign as the club’s top scorer with 24 goals and 11 assists. Unfortunately, his second season turned out worse than the first.

Scoring 15 goals in 44 appearances was not a bad record for an attacker but Lukaku only had himself to blame for not being careful with his choice of words during an interview with Sky Sport Italia in the middle of the 2021/22 season where he professed his undying love for former club Inter and, even went as far as criticizing Thomas Tuchel’s tactics.

Since that incident, Lukaku has lost the trust of his coach and most Chelsea fans, as he is now considering a loan move back to San Siro in the summer transfer window.

6. Harry Maguire: Leicester – Man Utd (2019)

In the 2019 transfer window, Manchester United were not careful in spending on whichever player they dimmed fit to be part of the squad as they splashed an exorbitant £80m ($100m) on Harry Maguire, an amount good enough to land the Leicester defender at Old Trafford.

No one would ever think it will be a waste of money as the England defender had proved himself while at Leicester to the point that renowned coach Pep Guardiola was also in the race to sign him in 2019.

In an interview, Maguire claims he chose Manchester United over Manchester City but in reality, United offered more than City and as the market goes, the highest bidder always wins the race.

Harry Maguire has had a handful of abuses from fans at United over the past three years the latest of which was the death threat he received that left him out of the club’s squad for some matches.

Maguire is more of a victim of circumstance as his career is equally suffering from United’s trophy-less spell and seeing the club making him a captain looks completely ridiculous.

5. Eden Hazard: Chelsea – Real Madrid (2019)

It seems 2019 is not a good year for the football business, again another big-money signing flopped at his new club and this time it is Eden Hazard. Hazard joined Real Madrid from Chelsea for €100 million (£88m/$112m), a move that turned out to be doomed from the very moment the Chelsea ace winger turned up overweight for pre-season training.

Nature wasn’t on his side as his career at Santiago Bernabeu was thwarted by a series of incessant injuries compared to his injury-free outing at Chelsea.

Even when fit and tried to prove himself as a player who performed excellently during his seven years spell at Chelsea, he only got disappointed and frustrated and his sparks are long gone.

Irrespective of the fact that he wasn’t up to expectations, Hazard has done well in his football career by adding several important trophies to his cabinet while at Real Madrid.

4. Paul Pogba: Juventus – Man Utd (2016)

Manchester United’s deal with Paul Pogba is indeed a loss for the club who lost Paul Pogba for nothing in 2012 when he joined Juventus on a free transfer. In 2016, the English giants re-signed Pogba from Juventus for a world-record fee of £89.5m. Ten years later, it’s happened again as Pogba is planning on exiting the club on a free transfer.

The fans have long given up hope on Paul Pogba whom they believed has lost his place in the team, some irate supporters of the team booed and abused the french man during their clash with Norwich last season showing their dissatisfaction with the young midfielder.

No one will be happy spending a fortune on a valuable asset that will lose value within a twinkling of an eye. Pogba’s six years at Old Trafford only added one Europa League title, one Carabao Cup, and a series of pitiful performances and injury worries.

3.Ousmane Dembele: Dortmund – Barcelona (2017)

Barcelona found itself in a very tight spot after the exit of Neymar Jnr to Paris Saint-Germain in the 2017 summer transfer window.

Of course, it was a good business as they had received a world-record fee for the Brazilian veteran striker, but every club in the world knew they had a fat purse and are willing to spend as they were desperate to sign Neymar’s replacement.

Indeed, Dortmund were the lucky one, they saw Barcelona coming for their Ousmane Dembele and need not be informed before they inflated the price of the french man who just had one season in the German Bundesliga.

Barcelona splashed a whooping €105m (£90m/$112m) to land Dembele at Camp Nuo. A deal they now lived to regret.
Worst still after five years plagued by injury and ill-discipline at the club, Dembele is set to leave on a free transfer.

2. Antoine Griezmann: Atletico Madrid – Barcelona (2019)

In 2018 Antoine Griezmann rejected a €100m (£86m/$107m) transfer to Barcelona, which he publicly stated in a video documentary shared by Barcelona defender Gerard Pique.

This singular act got the club’s fans and wished to have nothing to do with the Atletico Madrid veteran striker.

Explainable, Barcelona went for the french man for a fee of €120m (£100m/$130m) the following year, hoping the striker’s capabilities would be worth the insult in the viral video.

Unluckily for him, The magnificent attacker enjoyed a moment at Camp Nou before descending to mediocrity. His average performance for the club saw him crawling back to Real Madrid in the 2021 transfer window after which he later re-joined Atletico Madrid on loan with the possibility of making a permanent transfer.

1. Philippe Coutinho: Liverpool – Barcelona (2018)

Philippe Coutinho’s transfer was the best of all transfers in Liverpool’s history, but the turned out to be the worst for Barcelona.

Remember in 2018, Barcelona paid a mouth-watering sum of €120m (£100m/$130m) – plus €40m (£34m/$43m) in potential bonuses – to land Coutinho at Camp Nuo.

Josep Maria Bartomeu didn’t care to know if the player has a place in his squad but went out of his way to ensure the Brazilian featured in his formidable squad. Liverpool on the other hand saw a bid too good to turn down.

It can be recalled that the most Coutinho’s most significant contribution during his four years of sojourn at the book was scoring two goals against his team in 2020 while he was on loan at Bayern Munich.

After spending years trying to offload Coutinho, they let him join Aston Villa for just €20m (£17m/$21.5m) in 2022 as they desperately tried to restore some financial order at Camp Nou after very nearly going bankrupt under Bartomeu.

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English Premier League

Talking Soccer Florida : Best Reviews and all you need to know

Published

3 years ago

October 23, 2022

90minsoccer

Talking Soccer Florida is a discussion platform where users are free to signup to become members and contribute meaningfully to any topic of interest. At first, the platform began as a soccer discussion forum but later became a big arena where every other discussion could be treated.

The interesting thing about this platform is, creating a topic of discussion is not the duty of the admin alone, registered members of the forum are also free to create topics of discussion.

How to join Talking Soccer Florida

It is natural for individuals to discuss and share ideas on pressing issues as this singular act has saved a lot of persons from all sorts of depression. Hence, joining this discussion forum is quite easy and straightforward. The steps are enumerated below:

step 1: Visit their Official website

Step 2: Locate the top right corner of the website’s home page and click on “Login or Sign up”, it is a single button

Step 3: Click on Sign up in the bottom right corner of the drop-down login bar.

Step 4: Fill in all the required details in the fields provided.

Step 5: Click ” Complete Sign Up”

Features of Talking Soccer Florida

This amazing platform has some remarkable features that help users/members navigate and interact on the website. Some of these features are:

1. Forum: This is a page where all discussions take place. Here, members select their topics of interest and comment on same. Under the forum there are a few other features as listed below:

Topics: This houses all the topics treated so far and there is also a provision for members to create new topics of discussion.
Latest Activity: This allows members to see the recent happenings in the group, like the recent topic created, the recent comment made, and so on.
My Subscription: This also allows members to view their list of subscribed posts
Photos: It shows the photo gallery of all pictures posted in the forum since inception.

2. Blogs: This shows the blog posts made that is meant to educate members and reader on a given topic. Here it is left for members to leave a comment after reading the post if they so wish but it is not a topic of discussion.

3. Articles: This feature houses all articles written with well-researched facts, findings, and references meant for the user’s reading pleasure.

4. Groups: On this platform, members are free to create and join various groups of their choice for smaller, concise and straightforward discussions.

5. Today’s Post: This shows the list of all topics posted today and their respective comments by members of the platform.

6. Members List: It shows the list of all registered members on the platform.

Talking Soccer Ma (Massachusetts)

Talking Soccer Ma is yet another platform that brings together soccer fans in the city of Massachusetts to discuss the latest happenings in the world of soccer. Interestingly, this platform also gives room for discussions on other topics aside from soccer.

English Premier League

Liverpool vs Man City Preview: All you need to know

Published

3 years ago

October 15, 2022

90minsoccer

Here we bring you a detailed preview of the Liverpool vs Man City match, insightful analysis, the latest team news, and the best predictions ahead of the clash at Anfield.

Liverpool has found themselves struggling in the Premier League since the commencement of the season in August. The Reds will welcome an in-formed Manchester City in the Week 12 match of the English Premier League on Sunday afternoon.

Both teams were arc-rivals in recent times when it comes to winning the Premier League title as they have both finished in the first and second positions thrice in the previous four EPL seasons.

However, Jurgen Klopp’s men are currently 13 points behind second-placed Man City who are yet to lose any game in the league this season. Liverpool are now 10th on the EPL table and will be looking for a miracle to defeat the visitors on Sunday. Manchester City are just one point behind Arsenal and will do anything possible to ensure they unsit Mikel Arteta’s men off the top of the Premier League table.

It can be recalled that the last defeat Manchester City suffered was in the hands of Liverpool during the Community Shield match at the beginning of the season. Could this mean that Liverpool has the secret to defeating Man City?? Perhaps when we get to their head-to-head in this article, we will know better.

Below are all the detailed previews and analysis you need to know ahead of the Liverpool vs Man City match:

Table of Contents

Where is Liverpool vs Man City playing?

If you have been wondering where will the Liverpool vs Man City match take place, find below the venue, date, and time of the match including details of core officials that will ensure the smooth running of the match.

Location: Liverpool, England
Stadium: Anfield
Date: Sunday 16 October
Kick-off Time: 16:30 BST
VAR: Darren England
Referee: Anthony Taylor

Where to watch Liverpool vs Man City in UK?

If you reside in the United Kingdom and are looking for where to comfortably watch the most intriguing fixture in the Premier League in recent times worry no more. Below are some credible channels and live streaming channels to watch the match in your comfort zone.

Channel: Sky Sports Main Event
Channel: Sky Sports Premier League
Channel: Sky Ultra HD
Streaming Service: NOW TV
Streaming Service: Sky Go
Broadcast Time: 16:00 (BST)

Where to watch Liverpool vs Man City in USA?

To all Americans seeking where to watch the Liverpool vs Man City match, we have put together a compilation of various channels you can use to watch the match easily on the go. No hassles, visit the following channels and enjoy the game.

Channel: NBC Universo
Streaming Service: NBC Sports
Streaming Service: Peacock Premium
Broadcast Time EST: 11:30
Broadcast Time PST: 08:30

Where to watch Liverpool vs Man City in Canada?

If you are in Canada and wish to watch the game between Liverpool and Man City, it is still possible, however we can only guarantee you of one streaming service. visit Fubotv and enjoy the breathtaking game at Anfield on Sunday.

Streaming Service: fuboTV
Broadcast Time (EST): 11:30

Where can you watch Liverpool vs Man City Highlights?

In case you missed this must-watched game, don’t worry we get you covered. You can visit any of the following channels to watch the highlights of the match and enjoy all the actions you have missed.

Channel: Sky Sports Football
Channel: BBC Match of the Day 2
Stream: Sky Sports Football YouTube channel

Liverpool vs Man City H2H Results (Last Five Games)

Considering their overall head-to-head in the Premier League, Manchester City has the upper hand against Liverpool. Both teams have met a total of 27 times with Man City winning 11, drawing 9, and Losing 7. However, in their last five outing in all competitions, Liverpool won 2, Man City won 1 and they drew 2.

Statistics	Liverpool	Man City
Total matches played	27	27
Total Wins	7	11
Total Draws	9	9
Total Losses	11	7
Yellow Cards	27	20
Total Goals scored	43	44
Red Cards	0	0

Liverpool vs Man City Head-to-Head table

Liverpool vs Man City Last 5 matches

Date	Home	Score	Away
16/04/2022	Man City	2-3	Liverpool
10/04/2022	Man City	2-2	Liverpool
03/10/2022	Liverpool	2-3	Man City
07/02/2021	Liverpool	1-4	Man City
08/11/2020	Man City	1-1	Liverpool

Liverpool Last 5 Matches

Date	Home	Score	Away
12/10/2022	Rangers	1-7	Liverpool
09/10/2022	Arsenal	3-2	Liverpool
04/10/2022	Liverpool	2-0	Rangers
01/10/2022	Liverpool	3-3	Brighton
13/09/2022	Liverpool	2-1	Ajax

Man City Last 5 Matches

Date	Home	Score	Away
11/10/2022	Copenhagen	0-0	Man City
05/10/2022	Man City	5-0	Copenhagen
02/10/2022	Man City	6-3	Man United
17/09/2022	Wolves	0-3	Man City
14/09/2022	Man City	2-1	B.Dortmund

Current Form (Last Five Games)

Liverpool: WDWLW
Man City: WWWWD

Liverpool team news

Liverpool started their 2022 Premier League campaign with lots of injury problems having about 10 players out injured. As they managed their way through, they are yet faced with a new phase of injuries worries. Prolific winger Luis Diaz sustained a knee injury during their encounter against Arsenal and has been ruled out until December.

Also, first-choice defenders Trent Alexander-Arnold and Joel Matip were also substituted at Emirates stadium as they are suspected to have picked various degrees of injuries. According to a press released by Jurgen Klopp, Arnold has sustained an ankle injury while Matip has sustained a calf injury and both players will be out for two to three weeks.

Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain are yet to return to the squad as both player are nursing hamstring injuries. Arthur Melo also picked a muscle injury this week and will be out of the squad to welcome Man City on Sunday.

However, Curtis Jones will start the game from the bench as the midfielder has returned to training and may likely feature in the game on Sunday. Aside from these injury worries, Liverpool will be in good shape to slug it out with the defending champions.

Liverpool predicted lineup vs Man City

Liverpool Starting 11 (4-2-3-1):

Alisson
Gomez
Konate
Van Dijk
Robertson
Fabinho
Thiago
Salah
Firmino
Jota
Nunez
Substitutes: Adrian, Kelleher, Carvalho, Milner, Elliott, Tsimikas, Bajcetic, Jones, Phillips.

You can read more about Liverpool’s predicted lineup vs Man City here.

Man City team news

Manchester City Boss Pep Guardiola has few injury worries compared to his counterpart Jurgen Klopp, Man City only have three players out injured. John Stone is currently nursing a hamstring injury and will not be available to feature in the game while Kalvin Phillips will also be out with a shoulder injury and Kyle Walker sustained a groin injury and will probably be out until full recovery is inevitable.

Erling Haaland is fit and ready to continue his consistent performance in the Premier League, the Norwegian was rested in their Champions League draw at Copenhagen but will be available to travel to Anfield.

Man City predicted lineup vs Liverpool

Man City Starting 11 (4-3-3):

Ederson
Akanji
Dias
Ake
Cancelo
De Bruyne
Rodri
Bernardo
Foden
Haaland
Grealish
Substitutes: Ortega, Laporte, Palmer, Alvarez, Mahrez,Gomez, Lewis, Gundogan, Wilson-Esbrand.

You can read more about Man City’s predicted lineup vs Liverpool here.

Liverpool vs Man City prediction

This is quite a difficult game to predict, one may say Liverpool are not in good form but the Reds have not lost any of their previous four matches against Manchester City in all competitions (W2 D2). However, Man City have not lost any game since the beginning of the season, and do not look like they are ready to lose this one.

Yes, the citizens lost to Liverpool in the 2022 Community Shield but you will;l agree with me that Man City is the most dreaded team to play against in the Premier League right now.

After a 7-1 victory against Rangers in the Midweek, Liverpool will be heading into the Sunday encounter shoulder-high with the hope of giving the visitors the shock of their lives. But if the Reds put up their porous defense line as usual, then Man City will be partying around Anfield on Sunday.

Our team of Expert punters have predicted the game as a match full of goals, hence it is safe to play it GG, over 2.5 and risk takers can consider Man City to win at the end of 90 minutes.

Prediction: Liverpool 2-2 Man City

English Premier League

Aston Villa vs Chelsea Prediction, H2H and Best Lineup

Published

3 years ago

October 14, 2022

90minsoccer

Here we go again as we bring you Aston villa vs Chelsea prediction, Head-to-head, possible lineup, team news and all you need to know about the match on Sunday.

Aston Villa will slug it out with Graham Potter’s men at Villa Park on Afternoon. The host would have wished for another opponent if they can, considering the present form of the Blues.

Steven Gerrard’s side drew against Nottingham Forest in their last Premier League fixture, although they have done well to maintain four-match unbeaten record but they have only won one and drew three consecutively. The team is currently struggling and will have done anything possible to avoid any top-tier club at the moment.

Chelsea has gradually adapted to situations under the management of new manager Graham Potter, they will be traveling to Villa Park after picking four consecutive wins and maintaining three clean sheets with second-choice goalkeeper Kepa Arizzabalaga.

Below are a detailed preview of the match.

Table of Contents

Where is Aston Villa vs Chelsea match taking place?

Location: Birmingham, England
Stadium: Villa Park
Date: Sunday 16 October
Kick-off Time: 14:00 BST
VAR: Stuart Attwell
Referee: Robert Jones

Where to watch Aston Villa vs Chelsea in the United Kingdom?

Channel: Sky Sports Main Event
Channel: Sky Sports Premier League
Channel: Sky Ultra HD
Streaming Service: NOW TV
Streaming Service: Sky Go
Broadcast Time: 13:00 (BST)

Where to Aston Villa vs Chelsea in the United States?

Channel: NBC Universo
Streaming Service: NBC Sports
Streaming Service: Peacock Premium
Broadcast Time EST: 09:00
Broadcast Time PST: 06:00

Where can you watch Aston Villa vs Chelsea in Canada?

Streaming Service: fuboTV
Broadcast Time (EST): 09:00

Where can you watch Aston Villa vs Chelsea Highlights?

Channel: Sky Sports Football
Channel: BBC Match of the Day 2
Stream: Sky Football YouTube channel

Aston Villa vs Chelsea H2H Results (Last Five Games)

Aston Villa: 1 Win
Chelsea: 3 Wins
Draws: 1

Current Form (Last Five Games)

Aston Villa: LDWDD
Chelsea: DWWWW

Aston Villa team news

Aston Villa are coping with a series of injury worries in their starting XI. The claret and blue will be hosting Chelsea without their two natural left-backs. Lucas Digne has been out with a heel injury while Ludwig Augustinsson has been nursing a hamstring injury.

Also missing from the starting lineup is Boubacar Kamara (knee) and Diego Carlos (Achilles) who will be out as they are in the early stage of recovering from their various injuries. Featuring Leon Bailey into the squad ahead of Sunday’s clash is a huge probability as he had picked a knock in their previous match.

Aston Villa predicted lineup vs Chelsea

Aston Villa Starting 11 (4-3-2-1):

Martinez
Cash
Konsa
Mings
Young
McGinn
Luiz
Ramsey
Buendia
Coutinho
Watkins
Bench: Olsen, Sanson, Nakamba,Chambers, Bednarek, Archer, Dendoncker, Bogarde, Ings.

Chelsea team news

Chelsea were not left out of the injury worries as they have a number of players out with various degrees of injuries. Reece James picked up a knee injury in their midweek encounter at San Siro as limped off the pitch. The injury did not look severe but his appearance in the squad on Sunday remains a doubt.

Wesley Fofana is also out on injury and could make a return before the World Cup, he will not be available for the Sunday fixture at Villa Park. Hakim Ziyech is expected to make a return to the squad after missing the Champions League fixture against AC Milan due to a sore throat.

N’Golo Kante who has been out with a thigh injury suffered a huge blow in recovery as he suffered another injury during recuperating training.

Chelsea predicted lineup vs Aston Villa

Chelsea Starting 11 (4-2-3-1):

Arrizabalaga
Azpilicueta
Chalobah
Koulibaly
Cucurella
Loftus-Cheek
Jorginho
Mount
Sterling
Pulisic

Aubameyang
Bench: Mendy, Bettinelli, Broja, Kovacic, Harvertz, Chilwell, Gallagher, Ziyech, Chukwuemeka.

Read more about Chelsea’s predicted lineup here

Aston Villa vs Chelsea score prediction

Graham Potter is now enjoying life at Chelsea and is expected to pick up all three points at Villa Park on Sunday. Although the villains will not like to take a defeat in front of their home fans the visitors will do all that is needed to take home all three points.

Despite the difficulty of the game, our expert punters have put together a series of options to make good returns on your stakes. There will not be many goals in the game, as such, it is safe to play it under 3.5, Chelsea wins or draw and under 4.5 or if you are a risk taker, Away to win is a good option and Under 2.5 is not bad at all.

Although it’s going to be a tough game at Villa Park we see Chelsea coming out victorious at the end of 90 minutes.

Prediction: Aston Villa 0-1 Chelsea