Chelsea make the trip to Villa Park to take on Unai Emery’s Aston Villa in a game which could have huge ramifications on both sides’ seasons.
The Blues have currently slipped out of the top five, however can close the gap to just three points on Villa with a win tonight.
The Blues are coming into the game with another suspension to worry about. We are predicting Alejandro Garnacho will replace Pedro Neto in the starting side.
Finish our XI to face Villa!
Unai Emery thinks playing at Villa Park will be a huge advantage against Chelsea
Chelsea fell victim to Emery’s super sub Ollie Watkins in the reverse fixture back in December, and the Spaniard is confident that his side’s ability at home will be enough when the two sides meet tonight.
He said to the Villa website: “Our objective is to be in Europe, and we are in. Even not in good form, we are in.
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Aston Villa - Premier League
Photo by Catherine Ivill – AMA/Getty Images
“And, of course, we are every day trying to recover our good form and our confidence, and tomorrow, Chelsea is our opponent, and, of course, it’s a tough match.
“In Villa Park, we are feeling, overall, really comfortable, playing, showing our form, consistency, except the last matches as we played.
“And, of course, we want to recover our good form at home. We were winning a lot of matches in a row, and we were feeling so, so strong.”
This is despite Villa currently dealing with a number of significant injury worries. John McGinn, Youri Tielemans and Boubacar Kamara are all ruled out of the top-six clash.
What’s your favourite aspect of Reece James’ game? 🤩
Reece James' stats vs Aston Villa
Photo by Luke Walker/Getty Images
Chelsea’s record at Villa Park
Chelsea were defeated last season at Villa Park after a late Filip Jorgensen error, however actually boast a decent record at this ground.
The Blues have won eight of their last 12 games at Villa Park, losing on just three occasions since 2009.
Their most recent victory away from home came in an FA Cup replay, a game marked by a sensational Enzo Fernandez free-kick.
The Blues will be relying on a bit more magic like this in the Premier League, with a result essential in keeping up their push for Champions League qualification.
Join Our Newsletter
Receive a digest of our best Chelsea content each week direct to your mailbox