Chelsea travel to Villa Park to lock horns with Steven Gerrard’s Aston Villa side in the Premier League on Sunday.
The Pensioners go into the fixture on the back of a good run of form, having stayed unbeaten in five games across all formats under new coach Graham Potter. They are on a three-game winning run in the Premier League and head to Birmingham off the back of a 2-0 away success over AC Milan in the Champions League.
Potter will want his boys to continue the winning momentum and get all three points against a struggling Villa side.
Chelsea Team News
Chelsea have received a big blow with Reece James sustaining a knee problem after limping off against AC Milan in the San Siro on Tuesday evening. The right wing-back is due to see a specialist and there are fears that he might miss the upcoming World Cup in Qatar.
In further bad news for Potter and the Blues, N’Golo Kante has suffered a fresh setback in his recovery from a hamstring problem. Mason Mount underwent a precautionary scan today and while the reports are fine, there is a chance Potter might not want to risk his ‘immune to rotation’ midfielder amidst a busy period.
Meanwhile, Hakim Ziyech missed the midweek trip to Milan due to illness and remains doubtful.
Predicted Chelsea Lineup vs Aston Villa (4-2-3-1)
Goalkeeper
Kepa Arrizabalaga is expected to make his seventh consecutive start when Chelsea visit Aston Villa on Sunday afternoon. The Spaniard has grabbed his opportunities with both hands in Edouard Mendy’s injury absence, thus, establishing himself now as the first-choice goalkeeper under Graham Potter.
Defence
Potter might revert to a back four at Villa Park, similar to what he has done in the league games he has managed so far for Chelsea. From the Milan game, Trevoh Chalobah could drop down to the bench as Thiago Silva pairs up with Kalidou Koulibaly in central defence in the Chelsea lineup.
In Reece James’ injury absence, Cesar Azpilicueta becomes an overwhelming favourite to start at right-back. Marc Cucurella, meanwhile, is likely to replace Ben Chilwell at left-back in the Chelsea lineup.
Midfield
In a bid to give more protection to the Chelsea defence, Potter could give Jorginho the nod to start ahead of Ruben Loftus-Cheek in midfield. Jorginho, who scored a penalty in the win over Milan, will form the double pivot with the tenacious and energetic Mateo Kovacic at the heart of the midfield in the Chelsea lineup.
With Mason Mount a slight doubt, Kai Havertz could operate in the hole behind the striker and keep things ticking in the final third of the pitch.
Attack
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is back to scoring goals, and three in his last three games should see him head to Villa with a lot of confidence. The Gabonese will lead the Chelsea attack, with Raheem Sterling and Conor Gallagher operating as wide playmakers in the Chelsea lineup.
The English duo has shone under Potter, adding a lot of energy, spark and impetus to the Blues’ attack. Potter could bring in the likes of Armando Broja, Christian Pulisic and Ruben Loftus-Cheek to freshen up things in the second half.