Chelsea vs Aston Villa preview
Chelsea badly need a win to start reversing their fortunes on Saturday when they welcome fellow strugglers Aston Villa to Stamford Bridge.
The defending champions currently sit two places above the drop-zone, with only eight points from their opening eight league games. This terrible start to a title defence has brought with it frustration and unnecessary drama.
Diego Costa was inevitably embroiled in part of the drama that blighted Chelsea in the opening games as he was retrospectively suspended for his actions in Chelsea’s 2-0 victory over Arsenal.
The Blues failed to win in the league in his absence. They drew 2-2 at Newcastle, before falling to a 1-3 home defeat to Southampton prior to the international break. The Spanish forward is back now and is fresh after spending the international break working on a tailor-made training schedule at Chelsea.
Most of the drama at Chelsea has involved their manager, with the latest episode coming after the defeat to the Saints. Jose Mourinho unravelled during his post-match interview, which resulted in the FA fining the Blues boss.
On a positive note, the club hierarchy quelled rumours of an impending sacking for Mourinho with a public statement backing their manager. A win on Saturday will go a long way in beginning the recovery process for the champions.
Opposite number Tim Sherwood is also under pressure because Aston Villa are dealing with a difficult start to the season. The Villans only won on the opening day of the season against Bournemouth and they come into this game off the back of four straight league defeats.
Targeting a win at Chelsea may be ambitious, but Sherwood will be eager to see a heartening performance from his charges and hopefully end the losing streak. The Villans cannot afford to look at this as a free-hit because they are in the bottom-three and have tough fixtures in the next five weeks. After this trip to the Bridge, Villa face Swansea City, Southampton, Tottenham, Manchester City and Everton.
Chelsea team news
- Branislav Ivanovic is out for about three weeks after picking up a hamstring injury during the international break.
- Thibaut Courtois continues his recovery from a long term knee injury.
Aston Villa team news
- Adama Traore (ankle) and Gabriel Agbonlahor (calf) could return to the side after spending the international break working on their fitness.
- Jores Okore (knee), Ciaran Clark (thigh) and Gary Gardner (ankle) are all nearing full fitness, but are less likely to recover in time to feature.
Chelsea vs Aston Villa prediction
Mourinho has to make changes to his defence again, this time because of Ivanovic’s injury. Mourinho hinted that he could ask the versatile Kurt Zouma to start as a full-back in order to add height to Chelsea’s defence when defending set-pieces. Cesar Azpilicueta should continue as the other full-back, with Baba Rahman still missing out as a result.
In midfield, Nemanja Matic and Cesc Fabregas may start as central midfielders in a 4-2-3-1 formation with the Spanish ball-player committing forward to dictate play while the Serbian holding midfielder protects the central defenders. However, Mourinho did hint that Ruben Loftus-Cheek might be handed a chance.
Eden Hazard and Pedro Rodriguez will probably be the wide attacking midfielders seeking one-on-one situations with Villa’s full-backs, while Willian roams in the number 10 position behind Costa.
Sherwood could make changes after the disappointing 0-1 home defeat to Stoke City. Jack Grealish and Carles Gil may start as wide forwards in a 4-3-3 formation. The wide forwards will have to spend most of the time in midfield tracking back with Chelsea’s full-backs, which means Rudy Gestede will virtually operate as a lone forward.
In midfield, Idrissa Gana and Jordan Veretout may start as central midfielders, pushing forward to engage Chelsea’s ball players, while Ashley Westwood works at the base of midfield.
Sherwood likes to adopt offensive tactics, but this is not an ideal game to leave too much space behind. The Villa manager may ask his charges to drop into their half and focus on a containing job.
Gestede will have a vital role for the visitors with his aerial ability. He can provide the team with a direct option to get the ball up the field and relieve pressure. Still, the champions should have enough to collect maximum points in this home game.
Score prediction
Chelsea 3-1 Aston Villa
