After suffering a defeat in their UEFA Europa Conference League opener, Aston Villa will look to return to winning ways when they face Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea are all set to host Aston Villa in search of their second league win of the season. The Blues have not had the best of starts to the new season and will be eager to put up a better show at home against Unai Emery’s men, who are currently seventh in the league.
The West London club struggled throughout last season and ended up finishing 12th in the league. While they have spent millions on new signings and have a new manager in Mauricio Pochettino, things have not changed much. They are currently 14th on the points table, with five points in their five outings.
The West London club have managed just one win and two draws in the new season. And, they will be eager to make it two wins when they host Aston Villa. The Blues are heading into this encounter on the back of a 0-0 draw against Bournemouth and will surely look to put up a better show this time around.
Meanwhile, the visitors have made a decent start to the new season under Unai Emery. They have won three out of their five matches and are currently 7th in the league with 9 points in five outings.
Aston Villa are heading into this encounter on the back of a 3-2 defeat at the hands of Legia Warszawa in the UEFA Europa Conference League. They had more of the ball, they took more shots on goal despite that the visitors ended up suffering a defeat.
They will look to bounce back from that defeat and put on an impressive show against the Blues at Stamford Bridge. It is going to be a closely fought encounter between two quality sides. Meanwhile, The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at both teams and tries to predict the tactics they could use.
Team News & Tactics
Chelsea
Watch Mauricio Pochettino preview #CheAvl LIVE! https://t.co/idR5t0bGK2
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) September 22, 2023
Mauricio Pochettino will be without the services of quite a few first-team players. The likes of Reece James, Wesley Fofana, Benoit Badiashile, Trevoh Chalobah, Carney Chukwuemeka, and summer signings Romeo Lavia and Christopher Nkunku are all unavailable for this fixture.
Meanwhile, they do have a boost as Moises Caicedo, Armando Broja, Noni Madueke and Marc Cucurella have returned from injury and are back available. But, none of them might risked from the start.
The former Tottenham manager is expected to go ahead with the 4-3-3 formation where Robert Sanchez will be in goal. Malo Gusto and Levi Colwill will start out wide as the full-backs. Meanwhile, in the heart of the defence, we will see veteran Thiago Silva pair up with Axel Disasi.
Chelsea graduate Conor Gallagher is expected to start alongside Enzo Fernandez and Lesley Ugochukwu in the centre of the park. The trio will look to have the majority of the ball possession and will try to dictate the pace of this game. Former Manchester City star Raheem Sterling will start on the right flank while Mykhailo Mudryk will feature on the left. Leading the attack will be young Nicolas Jackson.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Sanchez; Gusto, Disasi, Silva, Colwill; Gallagher, Fernandez, Ugochukwu; Sterling, Jackson, Mudryk
Aston Villa
Unai Emery will be without the services of Emiliano Buendia and Tyrone Mings for this fixture. The Spanish manager rotated a few of his players for the UEFA Europa Conference League game against Legia Warszawa, and he is expected to return to the XI that took the field against Crystal Palace last week.
Last time out at Stamford Bridge. 🧊
🔜 #CHEAVL pic.twitter.com/MWwJeeXYu0
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) September 22, 2023
Emery is expected to go ahead with the 4-2-3-1 formation, where Argentine World Cup winner Emiliano Martinez will be in goal. Matty Cash and Lucas Digne are expected to start as the full-backs. In the heart of the defence, Ezri Konsa will pair up with summer signing Pau Torres.
Boubacar Kamara and Douglas Luiz will form the double pivot in the centre of the park. The duo will look to help out their defenders as well as control the tempo of this game. John McGinn will feature as the attacking midfielder.
He will have the support of Moussa Diaby and Nicolo Zaniolo on either flank. Despite the kind of start Jhon Duran has had to the new season, he is expected to return to the bench and Ollie Watkins should be leading the line for Emery’s team.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Torres, Digne; Kamara, Luiz; Diaby, McGinn, Zaniolo; Watkins
Key Stats
- Aston Villa won the away fixture against Chelsea 2-0 last season.
- The visitors haven’t won back-to-back away league games against the Blues since 1933.
- In 2023, the Blues have joint-fewest wins. They have only won five Premier League games.
- Chelsea have only won two of their last 13 Premier League home games.
- Unai Emery’s team have scored 3+ goals in all three of their league wins this season.
Player to Watch
Moussa Diaby
Diaby has been doing wonders for Aston Villa since arriving at the club this summer. The 24-year-old winger has taken the Premier League by storm and he already has four goal contributions in five league outings.
He has found the back of the net on two occasions and has as many assists to his name. The French international will look to carry on his good work when his team squares up against Chelsea. Given his recent, he could end up being the difference between the two teams.
Prediction
Chelsea 1-2 Aston Villa
Despite the number of injuries, Chelsea still have a stronger squad on paper. But their recent form is not good enough. They have only won one Premier League game this season, and things might not get any easier.
Meanwhile, their opposition has won three games and they have been doing wonders under Unai Emery. While they might not have a star-studded squad, they do have quality players who can help them win on the night. Given the two teams’ recent form, The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-1 win for the visitors.
