Chelsea welcome Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge in a Premier League fixture on Sunday.
Mauricio Pochettino’s start to life as Chelsea boss hasn’t been smooth sailing, with the Pensioners picking up just five points from as many Premier League games thus far. They entered the recent international break off the back of a 1-0 home loss to Nottingham Forest, before being held to a 0-0 draw by Bournemouth last weekend.
Aston Villa, in contrast, have picked up nine points from their opening five games. Unai Emery’s men were smashed 3-0 by Liverpool before the international break but they showed character to bounce back by beating Crystal Palace 3-1 last weekend. Before the Villans travel to Chelsea, they open their Europa Conference League campaign away at Legia Warszawa on Thursday evening.
With that being said, here are the key battles that could define the outcome of Sunday’s fixture.
#Ollie Watkins vs Thiago Silva
Despite failing to score in the opening five league games of the season, Ollie Watkins is still expected to lead the Villa attack against Chelsea. The 27-year-old remains indispensable to Villa’s style of play, but he needs goals quickly.
Standing in his line at the weekend will be Chelsea’s veteran defender, Thiago Silva. The Brazilian continues to be a strong presence at the back, and a battle with the quick and physical Watkins will be a true test of his mettle at such a ripe age of 39. Given Silva’s diminishing powers, Watkins may look to play on his shoulders rather than his defensive partner Axel Disasi.
Thus, how the Chelsea veteran copes with the Villa striker will be an interesting watch.
#Raheem Sterling vs Lucas Digne
Raheem Sterling has been Chelsea’s best player by a country mile until now this season. He was unlucky to add to his season’s goal tally last weekend, hitting the woodwork against Bournemouth with a stunning free-kick.
The rapid England international has looked like Chelsea’s most threatening option in attack, and he will be raring to cause problems for the Villa backline. Usually deployed off the right by Pochettino, Sterling could find himself directly up against Villa’s Lucas Digne, who has made a strong start to the season.
An attacking left-back, Digne has a knack for pushing further up the pitch and contributing to Villa’s attacks and could keep Sterling busy with his darting runs. He has started all of Villa’s five league games, producing two assists. So, while the Frenchman is good going forward, he will have to be at his best defensively to keep Sterling quiet.
#Moussa Diaby vs Lesley Ugochukwu
Summer signing from Bayer Leverkusen, Moussa Diaby is already making waves at Aston Villa. He has quickly become a potent weapon in Emery’s revolution at Villa Park, bagging two goals and as many assists in five league games. The Frenchman can play in many attacking roles but he is expected to start as a No.10 against Chelsea. With his direct running, explosive pace and sharp movement, Diaby could make life difficult for the Blues.
Moises Caicedo missing out with a minor knee injury against Bournemouth saw Pochettino hand teenager Lesley Ugochukwu his first start for Chelsea. And Ugochukwu was one of the positives in the goalless draw with Bournemouth, providing energy and intensity with and without the ball from the base of the midfield. Especially for someone so young and inexperienced in the Premier League, it was an assured full debut.
With Caicedo yet to return to training, Ugochukwu is a certainty to start again in the middle of the park. The French youth international will face a big test of keeping an in-form Diaby quiet, and if he manages to do so, Chelsea’s chances of winning only their second game of the season will become higher.
