As we gear up for this match, both teams know that grabbing three points could significantly boost their chances of securing a European spot. Aston Villa finds themselves in ninth place going into the weekend. After today’s Champions League draw handed them a matchup against Club Brugge, Villa must now refocus on their league performance. Despite the favorable European draw, Unai Emery isn’t thrilled about their recent league outings, especially after drawing at home against Ipswich and Liverpool.
Their performance against Ipswich was lackluster, even against a 10-man lineup, but they showed promise earlier this week against the league leaders. If they can replicate their spirited gameplay against Liverpool, they might just edge out a Chelsea team that’s been having a tough time lately.
Enzo Maresca’s squad didn’t put up much of a fight against Brighton last Friday, and with only two wins in their last nine league games, they’re feeling the heat. Starting the weekend at sixth, Chelsea can’t afford many more slip-ups, especially with Bournemouth and Newcastle gaining momentum.
Unai’s full press conference is available on VillaTV if you want to catch all the latest insights.
Turning to team news, Emery hopes to have center-back Ezri Konsa back from injury, as Axel Disasi can’t play due to his loan agreement with Chelsea. Meanwhile, Ross Barkley, Amadou Onana, and Boubacar Kamara are sidelined.
As for Chelsea, they’ll be missing England’s own Noni Madueke, who picked up a hamstring injury against Brighton. He’s out until after the international break. Christopher Nkunku is expected to fill in as the false nine, with Nicolas Jackson and Marc Guiu also out.
Here’s what the line-ups might look like:
Aston Villa: Martinez; Garcia, Mings, Konsa, Digne; Tielemans, McGinn, Rogers, Asensio, Rashford; Watkins.
Chelsea: Jorgensen; Gusto, Chalobah, Colwill, Cucurella; Caicedo, Fernandez, Sancho, Palmer, Neto; Nkunku.
The match kicks off at 5.30pm, and you can catch all the excitement on Sky Sports this Saturday evening. Tune in to the Sky Sports Premier League and Main Event channels from 5pm, or stream the game on Sky Go.
