Chelsea’s home advantage gives them the edge in what should be a close encounter against Unai Emery’s Aston Villa. The Villans come into this game unbeaten in the last four games which has brought them to the 11th position on the Premier League table matching CFC’s points tally.
The west Londoners too come into this game unbeaten in their last four fixtures after ending what was possibly one of the most disastrous runs in their history. The Chels’ faithful will now be hoping that team can start to build a solid run on the back of those results and move up the league. One thing for certain is that Chelsea will have to keep half an eye on Aston Villa’s no. 11 Ollie Watkins who has been enjoying his football netting six goals and two assists over the last eight fixtures.
Chelsea Predicted Lineup (3-4-3)
Kepa Arrizabalaga (No. 1) Goalkeeper, Spain
The FIFA Best Goalkeeper award winner of the 2021-22 season has begun his rehabilitation and resumed training with the squad. However the Spanish International Kepa Arrizabalaga’s fine form will keep Edouard Mendy on the sidelines even after recovery.
Trevoh Chalobah (No. 14) Right Center Back, England
Wesley Fofana was called up to the French National Team and was in line to make his debut, however the 22-year-old withdrew from the squad after apparently feeling his hamstring. No further update was provided but Potter might not consider risking an injury here.
Skipper Cesar Azpilicueta is scheduled to return this weekend, too, after recovering from concussion. All things considered, Trevoh Chalobah is likely to start against Aston Villa this week as he’s maintained a good record of himself and proved the fact that he is a very reliable at the back.
Kalidou Koulibaly (No. 26) Center Back, Senegal
The Senegalese skipper has not let the Blues supporters feel the veteran Thiago Silva’s absence so far. However Koulibaly was pretty average on the International stage. The experienced center back will want to put those performances behind him and return to the Bridge and get back to business.
Marc Cucurella (No. 32) Left Center Back, Spain
The former Brighton and Hove Albion left back, Marc Cucurella, has been one of CFC’s better players over the past month. And with Benoit Badiashile away on International duty with the French U-21s, Cucurella who stayed back might edge him when the playing XI is announced on Saturday.
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Ruben Loftus-cheek (No. 12) Right wingback, England
Fans’ favorite Reece James continues to suffer from injuries. His International camp was cut short as the world class right back yet again concerned with how his left felt. England National team Head Coach Gareth Southgate says that,
"“Reece has gone back, he’s not completely happy with how his leg feels. He was a little bit concerned about that earlier in the week. “I think, probably for him, the injury after the injury that ruled him out of the World Cup has made him a little more cautious at this moment in time. It probably needs some time. “It is not unusual to have a serious injury and then smaller injuries on the back of that. With Reece, it is a case of building his resilience to load and him being comfortable with that.”"
Graham Potter will definitely not want to take any risks, and would instead have Ruben Loftus-cheek start who has been pretty reliable back up throughout the season.
Enzo Fernandez (No. 5) Central midfielder, Argentina
The outstanding central midfielder has managed to impress the Chels’ faithful every time he has stepped out on the pitch. His accuracy and range of passing have particularly caught the eye. And after scoring a stunner on International duty with Argentina, Fernandez will be itching to bring those goals back to the bridge.
Denis Zakaria (No. 8) Central midfielder, Croatia
Kovacic was one of Croatia’s better player on International duty meeting expectations. However due to the similarities in Fernandez and Kovacic’s attributes and playing style, the duo struggle to complement each other as a pairing leaving the defence exposed on most occasions. The Leicester game clearly displayed that.
On the other hand, our very own, N’Golo Kante, has completed his comeback from injury as he returned to the pitch featuring in the Development squad’s game while the others were away on International duty. However Potter would want to integrate him into the first team gradually with the aim of having him fully fit and sharp at the Santiago Bernabeu.
This leaves Denis Zakaria who fits the description as one of the best options to use on the weekend. The Switzerland International made a statement for himself after finally being given some playtime a few months ago. However his injury hampered his progress. But considering his performances on International duty and his ability to take care of all the dirty work, will allow Fernandez the freedom to penetrate into the opponent’s half and make optimal use of his attacking attributes.
Ben Chilwell (No. 21) Left wingback, England
Chilwell has never looked back since returning from his long term injury. He picked up form in no time and continued performing at the same level on International duty with the Three Lions as well. The Blues’ supporters will expect no less from him in this upcoming month stacked with crucial fixtures.
Kai Havertz (No. 29) Right Winger, Germany
The silky German was in fine goal scoring form before he joined the International camp scoring in the last three Chelsea games. Although he was withdrawn from the camp halfway, it was only due to illness which he must’ve already recovered from. And will now hope to start against the Villans and extend his goal scoring run.
Raheem Sterling (No. 10) Left winger, England
Graham Potter confirmed that Raheem Sterling’s omission from the England squad was precautionary,
"“Raheem has a problem with his hamstring,” “It’s not too serious but he’ll miss the [match against Everton] and the international trip.”"
And the recent training dump featured Sterling, which means that the world class winger should be available for selection and starting him would be a no brainer.
Christian Pulisic (No. 10) False nine, United States of America
Excluding Joao Felix from the squad might sound outrageous for some, especially when there are reports suggesting that the Blues hope to sign him permanently which will cost a huge sum. Felix initially did look full of threat, however in the recent games, he has been disappointing overall. In spite of scoring a goal against Everton and a goal against Luxembourg on International duty, Felix has struggled to impact the passage of play, looking quite sluggish for most parts of the game.
Havertz has been exceptional in that role behind a striker and Potter would like to keep it that way. Sterling too looks more lively, which should give the duo an edge over the Portuguese International.
Graham Potter tried using Mykhailo Mudryk up front but it didn’t work particularly well with that role restricting him in many ways and it was evident that he functions much better on the wings. Christian Pulisic on the other hand, has decent experience playing in that role and should be comfortable starting there on the weekend after what was a very successful International campaign for the USMNT skipper.
Will Chelsea build on their unbeaten run and get a result against Aston Villa?