Enzo Maresca has made two changes to the Chelsea lineup that played Newcastle United. The Blues are getting ready for a big top-four match against Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge on Saturday night.
The match starts at 5:30 p.m. GMT, and Villa, who are in third place, come to west London with a long winning streak. Villa are in third place in the Premier League, and Chelsea are in fourth.
Enzo Fernandez and Benoit Badiashile are now in the starting XI, taking the place of Malo Gusto and Wesley Fofana, who played in the 2-2 draw with Newcastle. Reece James, the captain who scored a great free kick at St. James’s Park, moves from his central position to right-back to make room for the personnel changes.
The change allows Maresca to maintain his preferred 4-2-3-1 formation, with Fernandez partnering Moises Caicedo in central midfield. Badiashile joins Trevoh Chalobah in the back four, and Marc Cucurella stays at left-back.
Pedro Neto, Cole Palmer, and Alejandro Garnacho will help striker Joao Pedro, who scored against Newcastle. Liam Delap and Brazilian winger Estevao are both on the bench because they missed recent games due to fitness issues.
The bench gives Maresca many tactical options. For example, Gusto, Fofana, and Tosin Adarabioyo can help with defense, while Jamie Gittens and Andrey Santos can help with offense. The choice adds to the Blues’ impressive streak of statistics.
This is the 56th Premier League game in a row that Chelsea have played without a player 30 or older in their starting lineup. Meanwhile, Aston Villa are the only team to have gone longer without fielding a player in that age group in the Premier League, a run of 59 matches from September 2012 to January 2014.
Villa come in having won seven consecutive league games, putting them in a strong position to qualify for the Champions League. In their last game, the visitors beat Manchester United 2-1, with Morgan Rogers scoring both goals. Chelsea earned only one point from their draw with Newcastle, so three points would help them move into the top four.
Unai Emery Names Strong Villa Side for Chelsea Clash
Unai Emery has put together a strong team for Aston Villa’s trip to Stamford Bridge. The Midlands club are hoping to win their eighth straight Premier League game.
Villa’s recent run of nine wins in ten Premier League games is their best since 1919, and Emery has confidence in the core group that has delivered those results. The visitors are in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Emiliano Martinez still in goal and Matty Cash, Victor Lindelof, Ezri Konsa, and Ian Maatsen making up the back four.
The defence has been essential to Villa’s success, giving their attacking players a place to shine in recent weeks. Boubacar Kamara and Youri Tielemans make up the double pivot in the middle of the field.
John McGinn, Emiliano Buendia, and Morgan Rogers are all playing in the attacking midfield positions. Donyell Malen is the main striker in the middle.
Emery has strong players on the bench, such as Ollie Watkins, who provides Villa with a different attacking option if they need to adjust their strategy. Jadon Sancho is back from Manchester United on loan and could play later in the game against Chelsea.