Chelsea vs Aston Villa at the Bridge this Sunday in the hope of inflicting more misery on a turbulent Aston Villa side. The Blues approach the match at Stamford Bridge fresh off a 2-0 victory against Heidenheim in the Conference League, albeit with a largely rotated starting lineup. They have won five straight games in all competitions.
Despite their impressive form, the West Londoners aren’t considered title contenders, but they hope to accumulate as many points as possible over the holiday season to keep their coveted top 4 status.
A win this Sunday would see the Blues climb into second just before Manchester City take on league leaders Liverpool. Depending on the result in the later game, Chelsea could finish the weekend in second or potentially 6 points behind the leaders.
Despite Villa’s strong recent record at Stamford Bridge, they must remain cautious. They will be eager to end a seven-game winless streak in all competitions after a 0-0 draw to Juventus in the Champions League on Wednesday night, following the controversial denial of a last-minute Morgan Rogers winner.
Belief growing for the Blues
Chelsea will be undoubtedly heading into this game in fine form, as they haven’t lost in the league since their trip to Anfield. After coming out of a recent tough run in a laudable position, the Blues will be looking to continue to add to Aston Villa’s struggles of late.
The SW6 team emerged victorious from a challenging match against Bundesliga side Heidenheim on Thursday night. Despite the physical strain on the players, they will have the opportunity to make significant changes for Sunday’s match, leaving players such as Cole Palmer, Nicolas Jackson, and Wesley Fofana at home to prepare for the upcoming game.
Despite the Blues’ eagerness for this match, Maresca’s team will aim to enhance their home performance this season, beginning this weekend. Despite defeating Newcastle at home, the team’s results against Nottingham Forest and Crystal Palace at home were questionable, especially given their home advantage. This is an opportunity for the young West Londoners to show they can have a steady home and away record as we head into the new year. After a couple of quieter games for Cole Palmer, could he come back into his top form to solidify Chelsea’s home form this weekend?
Some may argue that a victory over a formidable Villa team would undoubtedly instill optimism in the media about the Blues’ chances in a potential title race. However, when asked about this scenario at Friday’s press conference, Enzo Maresca responded as follows:
“No. I said it many times: I really like the pressure. I would like to say, ‘Yes, we are there’, but we are not there.”
Marseca added:
“Arsenal are ahead of us. City are ahead of us. Liverpool are showing that they are ahead of us. The important thing is we improve game after game—and then we’ll see.”
Villa’s woes of late
Since Unai Emery’s arrival, Aston Villa have been an exhilarating outfit to watch. Emery’s work was immediately evident as he turned the Villans from a bottom half side into European challengers. After leading Villa to Europe’s elite competition, people questioned how they would balance these high-level midweek games with their Premier League duties. Similar to Newcastle last year, the cracks have begun to show, as they are struggling to replicate the lofty standards that Unai Emery has set since his arrival.
Despite the game ending in a stalemate on Wednesday night for Villa, they are in a strong position to advance to the knockout stages after yet another challenging European night. With another tough game in their way Sunday, they will hope to exploit Chelsea’s defensive frailties and kickstart their campaign with a statement. Will Ollie Watkins and their standout player, Morgan Rogers, be able to inflict damage on Chelsea, or will the growing confidence of this young Chelsea team surpass the Villa threat?
FPL GW9 Best Captain Ollie Watkins
BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 02: Ollie Watkins of Aston Villa during the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Phase MD2 match between Aston Villa FC and FC Bayern München at Villa Park on October 02, 2024 in Birmingham, England. (Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images)
When questioned about Villa’s record at Stamford Bridge in Friday’s press conference, Emery said: “We’ve won two times and we’ve drawn in the cup, but now it is a different match. The match has changed, as have the players and coaches. They are feeling comfortable; they are performing consistently and getting better, and the challenge is this Sunday.”
Will history repeat itself, or will different circumstances provide a different result?
Chelsea vs Aston Villa Head to Head:
As mentioned before, the Villans have a favourable recent record at the Bridge. In this fixture last year, an Ollie Watkins strike saw Emery’s side beat a very vulnerable 10-man Chelsea. In the reverse fixture, Chelsea fought back from 2 goals down to salvage a 2-2 draw at Villa Park. Historically, Chelsea have 65 wins in meetings with the Claret and Blue side, which is superior to the visitors 55 wins against the West London outfit.
Team News:
After making significant changes against Heidenheim, Maresca may return to his Premier League starting lineup with Cole Palmer, Wesley Fofana, Romeo Lavia, Malo Gusto, Nicolas Jackson, Moises Caicedo, Marc Cucurella, Enzo Fernandez, and the returning Pedro Neto. Christopher Nkunku, who left the Europa Conference League match with a knock, will be checked, while captain Reece James is probably going to miss the festive period due to his most recent hamstring injury.
Unai Emery has been plagued by injuries this season. This continues as Amadou Onana and Jacob Ramsey, two midfielders, are doubts for Villa. On the other hand, Ross Barkley is in contention to play against his old team.
Prediction:
Although it is evident that Villa have a respectable record at the Bridge, I believe their European graft will take its toll once more as Chelsea look to establish their credentials to be in the running for a top four finish.
Prediction: Chelsea 2-1 Aston Villa
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