Villa are that team and this season they have undoubtedly provided a blueprint for how Chelsea, or indeed any football club, should be run.
Martin O'Neill has assembled a patriotic squad of players with no fear and a barrel load of pace.
In Randy Lerner, O'Neill has a Chairman prepared to back his manager to the hilt, all in the name of progression.
Lerner has illustrated a sensitivity to the local community by partnering his club with children's charity Acorns and the American has shown gratuity to the fans with free flags and scarves at some of Villa's biggest games.
In contrast, Chelsea have sacked their manager, Luis Filipe Scolari, who was given just 36 games in charge and appointed Dutchman Hiddink until the end of the season.
They have also shown little connection with their fans, who pay some of the highest ticket prices in the country. And to add to that, the probable first XI that is set to grace Villa Park on Saturday contains just two Englishmen - John Terry and Frank Lampard.
Villa, on the other hand, are a very home centred side with no fewer than nine English players set to start the game.
Praise
National team boss Fabio Capello has already seen the Claret and Blue in action on numerous occasions this season and the Italian has been full of praise for O'Neill and his men.
Okay, so football is not all about having a squad full of Englishmen and it's not all about community spirit but if you can have those positive attributes and you're successful, then you can't ask much more.
Villa have been brilliant both on and off the pitch.
With Lerner and O'Neill working hard behind the scenes and players like Gabby Agbonlahor and Gareth Barry firing on the pitch, they have become one of the most respected side in the country.
Chelsea fans are unlikely to be big supporters of a side who they have failed to beat in their last nine visits to Villa Park. But even they can take a step back to admire what Villa have done.
The Claret and Blue currently sit third, two points above Hiddink's new charges, and Saturday's game really couldn't be much bigger.
Villa know a win would really cement their place among the elite and after a defeat at Everton in the F.A. Cup and a draw at home to CSKA in midweek in the Uefa Cup, it is safe to say that the Premier League is their priority.
The Villans are set to welcome back injury victims Emile Heskey and James Milner, meaning Nicky Shorey and John Carew will have to settle for a place on the bench.
Winner
Hiddink has a number of problems to deal with, not least that he goes into the game without a recognised left back; Ashley Cole is banned and Wayne Bridge was sold to Man City in January.
He is likely to opt for a strike pair of Nicolas Anelka and Didier Drogba, an option which was rarely used by Scolari who preferred to play with a lone striker.
Villa will certainly be confident that they can claim their fourth win in ten home games against the Blues as never before have they been in such good league form going into the fixture
Hiddink would probably settle for a draw, but you never know what impact a new manager will have on a team. It is usually a positive influence and considering Chelsea's fine early season away form they are more than capable of taking all three points
Whatever the result at Villa Park, there is only one winner when you look at the season as a whole.
Villa have taken massive steps forward and have a young team hungry for success.
Chelsea, on the other hand, have an ageing bunch of players who look like they have lost the winning habit that epitomised the Jose Mourinho era.
But, write the Blues off at your peril and on Saturday you may just see an experienced fighter flexing their muscles to claim a vital victory.