Chelsea and Aston Villa will be keen on embarking on a winning run when they clash at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.
Gameweek 13 of the 2024/25 Premier League season will culminate on Sunday, which will feature most ‘Big Six’ sides. The action on the day will start with three simultaneous matches, including Chelsea vs Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge, before the curtains fall on the latest round of fixtures with the blockbuster clash between Liverpool and Manchester United.
Chelsea did not make an ideal start to the 2024/25 season, losing 2-0 to Manchester City. However, the Blues have improved considerably since then, facing a defeat in only one more Premier League game to climb to third in the standings heading into Gameweek 13, only a point behind Manchester City. Enzo Maresca’s men have also run riot in the UEFA Europa Conference League, with the Italian tactician getting his ideas across.
As for Aston Villa, the away side began the season well and showed the potential to be a dark horse in the title race. However, Unai Emery’s men have faltered in recent weeks, failing to win their last four Premier League games to drop to eighth on the table. But the Spanish tactician oversaw another decent result in the UEFA Champions League as the Villans nearly beat Juventus before playing out a goalless stalemate.
The corresponding fixture last season saw Aston Villa eke out a narrow 1-0 win over Chelsea, with Ollie Watkins scoring the match-winning goal. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Chelsea
Enzo Maresca has greeted positive updates on the team news front ahead of his side’s latest fixture. The Chelsea manager will be bereft of the services of only two first-team players vs Aston Villa on Sunday.
Malo Gusto (illness) and Pedro Neto (knock) have shrugged off their problems, and the duo will be fit and available to take on Aston Villa. However, Reece James and Omari Kellyman remain on the sidelines, with the duo recovering from hamstring injuries.
Robert Sanchez will take his spot between the sticks, with Chelsea lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him vs Aston Villa on Sunday. The backline should feature Malo Gusto, Wesley Fofana, Levi Colwill, and Marc Cucurella.
As for the midfield unit, the resurgent Enzo Fernandez should pair up with Moises Caicedo in the double pivot, with Romeo Lavia being an option on the bench. Cole Palmer will reprise the no. 10 role, with Noni Madueke and Pedro Neto being the two wide attackers. Finally, there is no looking past Nicolas Jackson as the central striker for the home side.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Sanchez; Gusto, Fofana, Colwill, Cucurella; Caicedo, Fernandez; Madueke, Palmer, Neto; Jackson
Aston Villa
Like his counterpart in the Chelsea dugout, Unai Emery has greeted a positive update on the team news front ahead of the trip to Stamford Bridge. The Aston Villa manager might be without only one first-team player on Sunday.
Amadou Onana is closing in on returning to action after recovering from a foot injury. However, the Belgian international will require a late fitness test to determine their availability. So, Jacob Ramsey is the only absentee, with the academy graduate dealing with a hamstring issue.
Emiliano Martinez is an automatic pick between the sticks, with Aston Villa lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him vs Chelsea on Sunday. The backline should feature Matty Cash, Ezri Konsa, Pau Torres, and Lucas Digne.
As for the midfield unit, Boubacar Kamara should pair up with Youri Tielemans in the double pivot. John McGinn will likely reprise the no. 10 role, with Leon Bailey and Morgan Rogers being the two wide attackers. Finally, Ollie Watkins will lead the line for Aston Villa against Chelsea.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Torres, Digne; Kamara, Tielemans; Bailey, McGinn, Rogers; Watkins
Key Stats
- Aston Villa will aim to pick up a third successive away league win vs Chelsea for the second-ever time, having previously done so between 1930 and 1933. The Villans are vying to become the first visiting team to keep three top-flight consecutive clean sheets at Stamford Bridge since Everton from 1977 to 1984.
- Chelsea failed to win all eight Premier League matches last season against the teams that finished in the top four (D5 L3). They have only taken one point from three meetings with those teams this term. However, the Blues’ only three defeats in their last 27 top-flight games came away to Arsenal and Liverpool and at home to Manchester City (W15 D9).
- Aston Villa are winless in seven games in all competitions (D3 L4). That is their longest run without a victory under Unai Emery. They lost all three competitive away matches in November, having won five and drawn one of their opening six fixtures on the road this season.
- Aston Villa have earned 11 points from losing positions in the 2024/25 season, behind only Manchester City’s 13.
- No player has created more chances from open play in the Premier League this season than Cole Palmer (28). The English international has gone four appearances in all competitions without scoring against Aston Villa; he only has a worse record against Liverpool, a team he has faced five times.
Player to Watch
Nicolas Jackson
The knives were out in the first half of the 2023/24 season as Nicolas Jackson struggled to stamp his authority after arriving from Villarreal. Fans and pundits alike were ready to call the Senegalese international the umpteenth flop in the BlueCo era.
However, things have changed considerably in 2024, with the former Villarreal forward one of the best players in the Premier League this year. Jackson has been directly involved in 17 goals in his past 20 Premier League appearances, scoring 12 and setting up five. So, the 23-year-old has undoubtedly proven his naysayers wrong, and he will be eager to continue his fine run on Sunday.
Prediction
Chelsea 2-1 Aston Villa
Things have gone pear-shaped for Aston Villa, with wins coming at a premium for Unai Emery and his charges. With Ollie Watkins going off the boil, the Villans have looked a pale shadow of the team that took the Premier League by storm last season. On the other hand, there is very little stopping Chelsea despite a few draws this season.
While there is a mismatch between the two teams on paper, Aston Villa will not go down without a fight, with Chelsea’s defensive shortcomings making them a prime target for Watkins. However, the hosts have the quality to add to Emery’s woes and clinch a 2-1 win on Sunday. The result will mean a seventh consecutive top-flight home match without a clean sheet from the beginning of a season for the first time since a run of nine in 1978/79 for Chelsea.