Aston Villa welcome Chelsea to Villa Park on Wednesday evening for the FA Cup fourth-round replay.
The Villans and the Blues cancelled out each other out at Stamford Bridge to set up a fourth-round replay. Since the 0-0 draw, Unai Emery’s side have played two Premier League fixtures—losing one and winning the other. They suffered a 3-1 home defeat to Newcastle United but showed great response by smashing lowly Sheffield United 5-0 at Bramall Lane on Saturday.
So, Villa will enter this cup fixture having had the best possible preparation unlike their opponents Chelsea, who have lost back-to-back league fixtures heavily to Liverpool and Wolverhampton respectively.
Aston Villa Team News
Nicolo Zaniolo was ruled out of the Sheffield United game after picking up an injury during training on Saturday morning and his availability for the upcoming cup fixture against Chelsea remains unknown.
Aston Villa were without Pau Torres, Lucas Digne and Jhon Duran for the trip to Sheffield United, but there is hope that Torres could be involved in midweek after the Spanish centre-back returned to light training last week.
Predicted Aston Villa lineup vs Chelsea (4-4-2)
Goalkeeper
Emiliano Martinez will look to build on the clean sheet win at Sheffield United when Villa face Chelsea in the FA Cup fourth-round replay on Wednesday.
Defence
There will be scope for defensive alteration, as Matty Cash could come in at right-back with Ezri Konsa switching back to central defence. Diego Carlos should drop out of the first XI, leaving Konsa to pair up with Clement Lenglet in central defence. Meanwhile, Alex Moreno, who scored a fine volley against Sheffield United, should retain his spot at left-back.
Aston Villa’s defensive quartet must stay compact and disciplined as Chelsea will look to exploit the spaces behind their high line.
Midfield
Further up the field, Boubacar Kamara and Douglas Luiz will hold the midfield for the hosts. They will be tasked with recycling possession, dictating the pace of the game and breaking up Chelsea’s attacks.
John McGinn and Youri Tielemans were taken off in the second half against the Blades on Saturday in a bid to keep them fresh for the cup replay on Wednesday. Their spots in the first XI are secure, as McGinn and Tielemans will look to offer drive, energy and goal-threat from the right and left-wide areas.
Attack
Ollie Watkins and Leon Bailey will go into the game high in confidence having scored in the 5-0 thrashing of Sheffield United. Their direct running, blistering pace and clever movement could cause Chelsea’s defence endless problems.
Moussa Diaby, Morgan Rogers and Jacob Ramsey will get opportunities to make an impact off the bench.