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BBC pundit Chris Sutton has backed Chelsea to get the better of Aston Villa when both sides square off in the Premier League on Sunday, December 1. He tipped his former side to secure all three points against Unai Emery’s men due to their current form and Nicolas Jackson’s goalscoring form.
Chelsea will be keen to build on their victories against Leicester City and Heidenheim when they host Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge. They sit in the third position in the league standings and could move to the second position if they beat Villa and Manchester City drop points at Liverpool.
Former Chelsea player Chris Sutton backed the Blues to emerge victorious in the clash. He wrote in his column on BBC:
''Aston Villa have not been firing on all cylinders recently but they were unlucky not to beat Juventus on Wednesday, after having a late winner ruled out. I captained Villa keeper Emi Martinez in my Fantasy team last weekend because I had not kept many clean sheets and just had a gut feeling they would keep Crystal Palace out - and of course they conceded after four minutes.
''Martinez is an outstanding goalkeeper, the best in the Premier League, but I cannot see him keeping a clean sheet this week either.
''I am backing Chelsea to take this one. They were too strong for Leicester last weekend and while Cole Palmer did not deliver, Nicolas Jackson keeps on scoring and looks like a different player compared to last season.
Predicted Score: 2-1
Chelsea has lost their last two Premier League matches against Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca assesses his midfield options ahead of Aston Villa clash
Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca seems to be facing a midfield dilemma ahead of the clash with Unai Emery’s men. The Italian manager has used two entirely different lineups in the league and cup competitions.
In their recent clash with Heidenheim in the UEFA Europa Conference League, the starting lineup was entirely different from the one against Leicester. Cesare Casadei and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall played as central midfielders while Jadon Sancho and Mykhailo Mudryk played as wide midfielders.
Apart from Casadei, who was sent off on the night, the other three abovementioned players impressed against the Bundesliga side. Carney Chukwuemeka, who came on in the second half, also impressed, leaving Maresca with a positive selection headache in midfield against Villa.
Maresca said to the club’s website:
''We have very strong options in midfield and this is a good problem. I know perfectly well that our midfielders, they are all good. As I’ve said many times, my decision depends a little on the game plan as to whether we use Romeo, Moi or Enzo, for example. In the Conference League, we have also used Cesare Casadei there who is doing well. And of course there is Kiernan. So it depends a little on the game plan."
He added:
''Enzo has been doing well since we started here. The problem is in some games I decided to take a different decision. That doesn’t mean the players that are out [of the team] are doing bad. Even if they think that, it’s not like this.
"Enzo is doing well since we started, then the game plan requires different players and this is the reason sometimes we go for Romeo and Moi. In the future we could go with Romeo and Enzo or maybe Romeo, Enzo and Moi as a three together. It all depends on the game but having these players is a good problem to have."
Following the Aston Villa clash, Chelsea will face Southampton away (December 4) before facing rivals Tottenham Hotspur away (December 8).
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Edited by Aditya Singh