"I wouldn't count the home side out of this one" – Joleon Lescott makes bold prediction about Aston Villa vs Chelsea

Former Manchester City defender Joleon Lescott has predicted a 1-0 loss for Chelsea against Aston Villa in their upcoming Premier League clash at Villa Park on Sunday (October 16).

The Blues are currently in a rich vein of form under new manager Graham Potter, registering four wins in five matches across all competitions. Since his appointment last month, Potter has guided the west London outfit to two straight Premier League victories.

On the other hand, Aston Villa are struggling in the bottom half of the Premier League table with just two wins in nine games. To make matters worse, Steven Gerrard's side are plagued by injuries to first-team players like Lucas Digne, Diego Carlos and Boubacar Kamara.

In his column for Live Score, Lescott backed the Villans to upset Chelsea to boost their chances of finishing in the top half of the table. He wrote:

"It's no surprise to see Graham Potter starting really well at Chelsea, while Aston Villa are struggling under Steven Gerrard. But I wouldn’t count the home side out of this one."

Lescott also claimed that the east Midlands outfit could pull off a shock result with the support of the home crowd. He added:

"The Villa Park crowd are desperate for some excitement and could make it difficult if the team starts well. Getting the fans on side early on will be key for Gerrard’s men and I'll go with my heart and say Villa could surprise a few here."

Aston Villa have lost four of their last five home Premier League matches against the Blues. Furthermore, Gerrard is yet to register a win against the west London outfit, having lost two in as many outings so far.

Chelsea boss Graham Potter provides injury update on three first-team players

Speaking at the pre-match press conference, Chelsea boss Graham Potter confirmed that Reece James will miss their upcoming clash against Aston Villa due to a knee injury. He said (via Football London):

"He's due to see a specialist over the weekend. Until we get that, there's not too much I can add. It would be speculation on my perspective. Let's wait and see. He felt not too bad yesterday but until you get these things checked, you never know."

Potter also shed light on the respective hamstring and knee injuries of N'Golo Kante and Wesley Fofana and elaborated:

"He [Kante] is due to see a consultant at the weekend. It's a setback and it's not good news. But at this stage, I can't give you anything more. He [Fofana] is progressing where he was. I don't think we'll see him before the World Cup."

Blues winger Hakim Ziyech is also currently recovering from an illness.