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Revenge mission for Villa

Author: Lynda Collins
Date: 10/04/2010
Football betting

Aston Villa will be out to gain revenge against Chelsea in their FA Cup semi-final clash at Wembley on Saturday afternoon.

The Villans were somewhat villainous on March 27 at Stamford Bridge as they were humbled 7-1 with England midfielder Frank Lampard smashing home four and Florent Malouda helping himself to a brace.

But Martin O'Neill's men will want to put things right for the chance to meet either Portsmouth or Tottenham Hotspur in the showpiece final in May.

Carlo Ancelotti's side, who sit at the top of the Premier League table by two points, are unlikely to take their eye off the ball and play a weakened line-up with the Italian just two games away from landing the cup the club won last term.

They will confident of improving on their fine recent record that has yielded ten consecutive FA Cup wins while conceding just six times in that sequence.

With Didier Drogba back and fully fit, Joe Cole looking sharp, Malouda and Lampard on fire and Ashley Cole nearing a return to action, things are looking good for the Londoners.

Can Aston Villa upset the odds and knock Chelsea out of the FA Cup on Saturday? - Latest Football Betting

In the Premier League, the big clash of the day sees relegation rivals Hull City and Burnley meet at KC Stadium.

The hosts, who are online betting favourites to win the contest, sit third from bottom while the Clarets sit a place below and four points away from safety and they really must grab a win on Humberside.

However, it seems unlikely with their miserable record on the road that has seen them collect just one point from 16 fixtures.

On the flip side, it is Hull's home record that is keeping them in touch with the teams directly above them.

In their previous four games on home soil they have defeated Fulham and Manchester City, secured a fine draw with Chelsea and suffered a single loss to Arsenal.

With Jimmy Bullard back in the Tigers side they are looking a stronger unit and he will be looking to grab the game by the scruff of the neck at the earliest opportunity.

Fellow strugglers West Ham United take on Sunderland at Upton Park and Hammers boss Gianfranco Zola will be striving for his team to pick up a crucial three points.

Their 2-2 draw at Everton last Sunday halted a terrible run of six consecutive defeats while Steve Bruce's Black Cats grabbed a fine 3-1 success over Tottenham last time out.

Sunderland's season is all but over as they look set for a mid-table finish and the hosts will be looking to take advantage of any half-hearted performances from the visitors.

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