Chelsea have hit a bit of a rocky patch over the past week or so, failing to win any of their last three outings. After consecutive Premier League losses to Manchester City and West Ham United, Lampard will want his team to bounce back on Wednesday night against Villa.
Several pundits have had their say on the recent dip in form at Stamford Bridge, and the majority feel that Chelsea can bounce back from their recent troubles.
Charlie Nicholas of Sky Sports, gave his verdict on the game: ”Chelsea have had the stumble that we’ve been predicting would come. Chelsea will be up and down for the remainder of the season in my opinion.
”I think Villa are better than what the table suggests, but I cannot trust them defensively, and for that reason, I think Chelsea will edge this one.”
It is fair to say that Chelsea have had a stumble recently, but predicting the Blues to be up and down for the rest of the season seems harsh. They are a young side who will only get better as the season progresses, especially if the Blues can sign players in January.
Although they do not have the experience of dealing with the end of season pressures that some more experienced players do, there are senior members of the squad who will make up for this.
Mark Lawrenson, of the BBC, also predicts that Chelsea will pick up all three points at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night.
It would be a big win for the Blues, who desperately need to stamp out rumours of a dip in form as well as improving their form in front of the Stamford Bridge faithful.