A place in the FA Cup fifth round will be on the line when Chelsea and Aston Villa clash at Stamford Bridge on Friday.
The FA Cup fourth round continues on Friday, which will bring us two eye-catching games. Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur will lock horns at the Etihad in the marquee fixture of the evening, which will also feature the game between Chelsea and Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea will head into Friday’s FA Cup clash on the back of a confidence-boosting 6-1 win over Middlesbrough. The result helped them reach the EFL Cup final after overturning a one-goal deficit to progress in the competition. The Blues have been decent in recent weeks, winning five of their last six games. Meanwhile, they reached the FA Cup fourth round after beating Preston North End 4-0 in the previous stage.
On the other hand, Aston Villa had the midweek off after going out of the EFL Cup in the third round. But the Villans are enjoying an excellent 2023/24 season as they are in the top four in the Premier League, level on points with Manchester City and Arsenal. Meanwhile, the Midlands outfit qualified for the FA Cup fourth round after getting past Middlesbrough in the previous stage.
Chelsea and Aston Villa have already met once this season, with Ollie Watkins scoring the only goal in the game at Stamford Bridge in September. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Chelsea
Mauricio Pochettino might receive some positive updates on the team news front ahead of his side’s latest fixture. Against Aston Villa on Friday, the Chelsea manager will be bereft of the services of at least seven first-team players.
Malo Gusto (knock) and Christopher Nkunku (hip) are closing in on returning to action. But they might not be fit enough to feature from the get-go. Meanwhile, Robert Sanchez (knee), Reece James (hamstring), Wesley Fofana (knee), Marc Cucurella (ankle), Romeo Lavia (thigh), and Lesley Ugochukwu (hamstring) remain on the sidelines.
In addition, Nicolas Jackson remains unavailable due to his commitments with Senegal at the Africa Cup of Nations. Chelsea will line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation against Aston Villa, with Djordje Petrovic taking his spot between the sticks. Axel Disasi, Benoit Badiashile, Levi Colwill, and Ben Chilwell should form the backline.
As for the midfield unit, there is no looking past Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez in the double pivot. The duo will look to keep things tight in the middle of the park and keep Douglas Luiz quiet. Finally, a fluid attacking quartet should feature Cole Palmer, Raheem Sterling, Conor Gallagher, and Noni Madueke, with Palmer featuring as the makeshift striker.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Petrovic; Disasi, Badiashile, Colwill, Chilwell; Caicedo, Enzo Fernandez; Madueke, Gallagher, Sterling; Palmer
Aston Villa
Like his counterpart in the Chelsea dugout, Unai Emery does not have any new issues hampering his preparations ahead of the trip to Stamford Bridge. The Aston Villa manager will be without four first-team players.
There is some good news, with Pau Torres (ankle), Jacob Ramsey (thigh), and Robin Olsen (knock) likely to feature in the matchday squad on Friday. But Tyrone Mings (knee), Lucas Digne (hamstring), and Emiliano Buendia (knee) remain in the treatment room. In addition, Jhon Duran, a target for Chelsea, is unavailable after picking up a knock.
Meanwhile, Bertrand Traore is with Burkina Faso at the Africa Cup of Nations and remains unavailable. Emiliano Martinez should take his usual spot between the sticks, with Aston Villa lining up in a 4-4-2 formation in front of him against Chelsea. Matty Cash, Ezri Konsa, Pau Torres, and Alex Moreno should complete the numbers in the backline.
As for the midfield unit, the onus will be on Douglas Luiz, Boubacar Kamara, and John McGinn will look to run the show. The trio will also put in the hard yards behind the ball. Leon Bailey will complete the numbers in the midfield department, although he will take up advanced positions. Finally, Ollie Watkins and Moussa Diaby should be the two strikers for Aston Villa.
Probable Lineup (4-4-2): Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Torres, Moreno; Bailey, Luiz, Kamara, McGinn; Watkins, Diaby
Key Stats
- Chelsea went out of the FA Cup against Aston Villa in the first four meetings between the two sides in the competition. But the Blues have emerged victorious in the most recent three since then.
- Aston Villa have won their last two matches against Chelsea, both away from home. They have not won three in a row against them in all competitions since a run of four between 1978 and 1984.
- Chelsea have won 40 of their last 47 FA Cup matches at Stamford Bridge, emerging victorious in the most recent eight by an aggregate score of 24-3.
- Aston Villa ended a run of eight successive FA Cup losses with a 1-0 win at Middlesbrough in the third round. However, they have lost their last seven FA Cup away matches against Premier League teams, with their most recent win coming against Everton in the 1999/00 quarter-final.
- Raheem Sterling has been directly involved in 19 goals in his last 20 starts in the FA Cup (10 goals, nine assists). He scored and assisted in Chelsea’s 4-0 win over Preston in the third round.
Player to Watch
Cole Palmer
Many players were under consideration for this section. Aston Villa strikers Ollie Wakins and Jhon Duran are viable candidates for different reasons. Meanwhile, there is no looking past Raheem Sterling in an FA Cup match. But we have gone ahead with Cole Palmer.
The 21-year-old has taken no time to become the Chelsea talisman since arriving from Manchester City in the summer. He is Chelsea’s most productive player, contributing to 20 goals in just 26 appearances thus far. So, Mauricio Pochettino will look towards Palmer for inspiration as the Blues look to overcome a stiff Aston Villa test.
Prediction
Chelsea 2-1 Aston Villa
A meeting between Chelsea and Aston Villa might have seen the pendulum swinging towards the Villans a few weeks ago. But the Blues are now one of the most in-form teams in the country and will be riding high on confidence after their 6-1 win over Middlesbrough in the EFL Cup semi-final second leg.
So, one can expect a keenly contested affair between Chelsea and Aston Villa on Friday. The game should go down the wire, and we cannot rule out a replay. But Cole Palmer should deliver the goods again, earning a narrow 2-1 win for the home side to reach the FA Cup fifth round.