Chelsea host Aston Villa this weekend in an interesting Premier League clash.
Chelsea are beginning to really find their rhythm under Enzo Maresca, who’s enjoyed an excellent first few months as the Blues head coach.
Meanwhile, Unai Emery has watched his Villa side go on a seven-game winless streak across all competitions, but they started the season in great touch.
There’s only three points between Chelsea and Villa going into Sunday afternoon’s clash, so it feels like a really important game for both sides.
Fortunately, the Blues do have some good injury news ahead of the weekend. Chelsea’s Pedro Neto and Malo Gusto could be available against Villa after missing the last couple of matches.
Coach Enzo Maresca of Chelsea FC reacts during the UEFA Conference League 2024/25 League Phase MD4 match between 1. FC Heidenheim 1846 and Chelsea ...
Photo by Daniel Kopatsch/Getty Images
Unai Emery praises Chelsea and Enzo Maresca
Villa boss Emery has applauded his opposite number ahead of the trip to Chelsea. In fact, he’s paid credit to the Blues for their work so far this season.
“Very well. He (Maresca) did a fantastic job last year at Leicester and the opportunity he has now, he has been very good as well,” Emery said, as quoted by Villa’s official website.
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“Of course, Chelsea is Chelsea, with the players they have and the club it is. The coaches and the manager at the beginning have done very well in different competitions.
“They are in the table, progressively getting better. They have three points in advantage of us. We started better than them, but now, Sunday is a very important match, how we can be closer to them.”
It’s a credit to Maresca that he’s receiving widespread praise from some of the world’s high-profile managers.
For instance, Maurizio Sarri is tipping Chelsea’s Maresca for a huge future. Meanwhile, Mikel Arteta is super impressed by Maresca’s impact at Chelsea.
The Blues are now under a different kind of pressure to win more regularly as the expectation has gone up a notch, so can they keep pace with that and build on the last few months?
Let’s judge Chelsea after next set of league games
If Chelsea are still around the top four spots by the New Year, it’ll be the time to start getting really excited about this talented young squad. For now, the league table is still quite congested, and things can change very quickly.
Here is a look at the remaining seven Premier League fixtures that Chelsea play this calendar year:
On paper, Maresca’s side have such a fantastic opportunity to get plenty of points on the board.
If there’s one area for concern, it’s that the team’s home form needs to improve. They’ve collected nine points from six home games, compared to 13 points from six away days this season.
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