Chelsea will be bidding to return back to winning ways in the Premier League when they welcome Aston Villa to Stamford Bridge on Sunday.
The Blues have taken just five points from their opening five games, winning once—at home to newly-promoted Luton Town. They drew 0-0 with Bournemouth away last weekend, managing a point after being shocked 1-0 by Nottingham Forest at Stamford Bridge before the international break.
Mauricio Pochettino will expect a better performance from his boys at the weekend as they look to win against Unai Emery’s Aston Villa, who head to west London off the back of a 3-2 defeat to Legia Warszawa in their Europa Conference League group-stage opener on Thursday.
Chelsea Team News
Chelsea have a lengthy injury list that saw 12 players missing from their trip to Bournemouth in the last game.
Marc Cucurella, Moises Caicedo and Noni Madueke were the most notable absentees at the Vitality Stadium. Cucurella missed out on the trip due to illness, while Caicedo and Madueke returned to the club from international with muscle issue and a knock, respectively. Cucurella is likely to return to the squad against Villa, but Caicedo and Madueke remain doubtful.
Armando Broja and Reece James are both pushing to make comebacks and could soon be eased in from the bench, but Benoit Badiashile has suffered a fresh setback in his recovery from a hamstring injury.
Meanwhile, summer signing Romeo Lavia is out for at least another month after twisting his ankle in training, joining the likes of Christopher Nkunku, Wesley Fofana, Trevoh Chalobah and Carney Chukwuemeka on the sidelines.
Predicted Chelsea lineup vs Aston Villa (4-2-3-1)
Goalkeeper
Robert Sanchez produced a solid performance in Chelsea’s goalless draw with Bournemouth last weekend, and the Spaniard is expected to continue in goal on Sunday.
Defence
Mauricio Pochettino used a 4-2-3-1 formation against Bournemouth, and for large periods at the Vitality Stadium the shape worked out for Chelsea. He is expected to stick with this formation, with Thiago Silva partnering Axel Disasi in central defence. With Reece James out, Malo Gusto is a certainty to continue at right-back while Levi Colwill keeps his place at left-back from the last game.
The Chelsea back four have to be switched on throughout the game to keep a potent Villa attack at bay.
Midfield
Lesley Ugochukwu looked calm and assured in his first start for the club against Bournemouth last weekend, and he should be rewarded with another start on Sunday. Alongside him, Enzo Fernandez may feature, and the Argentinean’s passing range and ball-retention ability in midfield will be key to stop Villa from controlling the game.
Deadline-day signing Cole Palmer will be handed his first start for the Blues after two appearances off the bench. With his incisive passing and vision, Palmer could be key in breaching the Villa backline.
Attack
Raheem Sterling is an undisputed starter on the right flank, and Chelsea will heavily rely on his pace and unpredictability in attack. On the opposite wing, Mykhaylo Mudryk should get an opportunity to impress again after showing flashes of his promise against Bournemouth.
With Armando Broja yet to play this season and Christopher Nkunku on the sidelines, Nicolas Jackson becomes an obvious choice to spearhead the Chelsea attack against Emery’s side.
