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London - Things might well get a lot worse before they get any better for relegation-threatened Aston Villa who face title-chasing Chelsea in the Premier League on Saturday.
Villa, who host leaders Chelsea, were accused of being "gutless" by former Villa striker Stan Collymore when they were beaten 5-0 at Arsenal on Sunday, an unwanted club record sixth successive league game without a goal.
They have only scored 11 times in the league all season, and after being second in September are now 16th, three points above the relegation zone and in danger of going down for the first time in 27 years.
Manager Paul Lambert was given the full support of American owner Randy Lerner last week, but an unlikely win over Chelsea would do more to help get the fans off his back.
Similarly, a shock victory over City would be a huge boost for Hull boss Steve Bruce, whose team are in an even worse position than Villa -- in the bottom three with two wins in 16 games and no goals or points from their last three.
They were crushed 3-0 by Newcastle United on Saturday and unless they improve soon, their second season back in the top flight could well be their last for a while.
It would be a major upset if the top two did not collect three points each after sharing the spoils in a drab 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge on Saturday that left Chelsea, on 53 points, five clear of City.
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho added Colombian winger Juan Cuadrado to his squad for £26 million pounds from Fiorentina on transfer deadline day and he could feature on Saturday.
