Aston Villa take on Chelsea as they look to add to their best winning streak in a centuryplaceholder image
Aston Villa take on Chelsea as they look to add to their best winning streak in a century | Getty Images. Canva
Aston Villa are back in Premier League action against Chelsea in a match which could have massive implications on the race for the title
Aston Villa have firmly put themselves in the conversation for a surprise title push after an incredible sequence of results and performances in the Premier League left them third in the table and just three points adrift of league leaders Arsenal on Christmas Day.
It’s a remarkable feat given the challenges Unai Emery’s side faced over the summer, and particularly at the start of the campaign when a number of high profile players such as Emiliano Martinez and Morgan Rogers were linked with exits after the club failed to win any of their opening five matches in the league. However, that’s dramatically changed since the end of September, with Villa winning 11 of their last 12 league matches, including bagging the major scalps of Arsenal and Manchester City in recent months.
Villa have proven over the course of this campaign that they are a side capable of mixing it with the very best in the division, and they’ll be looking to improve on their best winning run in over a century this weekend when they take on fourth placed Chelsea in a game which could have massive implications on both the race for the title and Champions League qualification. Here is a look at their predicted line-up to face the capital side at Stamford Bridge:
Aston Villa predicted XI vs Chelsea: goalkeeper and defence
GK: Emi Martinez: The Aston Villa stopper returned to the starting line-up to face Manchester United and helped his team to a key 2-1 victory over the Red Devils. He’ll be crucial this weekend as Villa aim to contain a Chelsea front line packed with attacking talent.
RB: Matty Cash: The 28-year-old tends to get forward and get involved in attacks. He has been on the books at Villa Park since 2020 and has been a good servant to the club. The right-back has made 202 appearances in all competitions to date and has been a near ever-present under Emery.
CB: Ezri Konsa: It has been an impressive season for the England centre-back for both his club and country. The 28-year-old will be eyeing a place in the Three Lions’ squad for the World Cup next year.
CB: Victor Lindelof: Swedish defender Lindelof is expected to keep his place in the lineup as Tyrone Mings and Pau Torres both continue to recover from their respective injuries.
LB: Ian Maatsen: The former Chelsea man has finally managed to usurp the experienced Lucas Digne in the pecking order and has performed well recently. He deserves to keep his place against the Blues at Stamford Bridge.
Aston Villa predicted XI vs Chelsea: midfield and attack
CM: Boubacar Kamara: The 26-year-old has enjoyed plenty of game time at Aston Villa in this campaign. He been immensely consistent since arriving from Ligue 1 giants Marseille back in 2022.
CM: Amadou Onana: The Belgian has performed excellently alongside Kamara in an energetic and dynamic midfield pairing. That’s unlikely to be tampered with against Chelsea as they look to contain the formidable threat of Cole Palmer.
LM: Donyell Malen: Netherlands international Malen could be handed an opportunity to play out wide ahead of John McGinn as Villa aim to record an 11th win a row.
CAM: Youri Tielemans: Former Leicester City midfielder Tielemans has been excellent for Villa since his return from injury in advanced central midfield role.
ST: Ollie Watkins: He has found the net only three times so far in this campaign. Nevertheless, he will still get the nod for this one. Aston Villa don’t have too much competition for his place up top and that is something to think about ahead of January.
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