Chelseavs.Aston Villa

The Blues were made to work hard for maximum points in the Conference League against Heidenheim on Thursday night, two days after the Villans shared the Champions League spoils with Italian giants Juventus in the Second City.

Match preview

Following the 2-0 defeat in the fourth round of the EFL Cup to Newcastle United on October 30, Chelsea enjoyed a defeat-free November schedule, a promising month of results that concluded with a two-goal victory at the home of Bundesliga outfit Heidenheim in the Conference League on Thursday night.

After a goalless first half, strikes from Christopher Nkunku and Mykhaylo Mudryk ensured that the Blues preserved their 100% record in the League Phase of UEFA's third-tier club competition, meaning that the West Londoners are now guaranteed to advance into February's playoff round at least.

Focusing on Premier League matters, Chelsea will be looking to make it back-to-back wins in the top flight following the final international break of the calendar year, with Enzo Maresca getting one over his former employers Leicester City last weekend at the King Power Stadium.

Finding the net with a composed finish against the Foxes, Nicolas Jackson is tied at the top of the Blues' Premier League goalscoring ranks alongside England hero Cole Palmer with seven strikes so far, whilst Noni Madueke (4) is the only other Chelsea player to have netted more than once in the top flight this term.

Collecting just nine of their 22 Premier League points at Stamford Bridge this campaign, no side in the division has earned a smaller ratio of their points at their respective home base to date, meaning that Maresca's men have a clear area for improvement if they wish to bridge the nine-point gap to league leaders Liverpool.

Since the 2-0 Champions League success over tournament newcomers Bologna on October 22, Aston Villa have endured a seven-game winless run across all competitions, so it was rather unsurprising that boos were audible in the Second City at the end of Tuesday night's battle with Juventus.

Much that was frustration from the Villa faithful was directed towards the decision to disallow Morgan Rogers's strike in the final moments of the match for a foul in the build-up, meaning that Unai Emery's men are now outside of the top-eight spots on the continent.

Villa collected just the single point across three Premier League contests in November, suffering a battering at the hands of Tottenham Hotspur and losing at Liverpool before being forced to settle the top-flight points with a stubborn Crystal Palace outfit last Saturday.

The Villans had to show their considerable powers of recovery to earn a positive result from their match with the relegation-threatened Eagles, as strikes from Ollie Watkins and Ross Barkley cancelled out efforts by Ismaila Sarr and academy graduate Justin Devenny for the visitors.

Looking to halt a four-game winless run in the Premier League, Villa will take plenty of confidence from their recent record at Stamford Bridge ahead of Sunday afternoon, with Emery's side winning two and drawing one of their last three competitive matches at the home of Chelsea.

Chelsea Premier League form:

D

L

W

D

D

W

Chelsea form (all competitions):

L

D

W

D

W

W

Aston Villa Premier League form:

D

W

D

L

L

D

Aston Villa form (all competitions):

L

L

L

L

D

D

Team News

Not involved in the Conference League squad of Chelsea, talisman Palmer and midfielder Romeo Lavia will return to the matchday party of the hosts on Sunday.

Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo both watched from the comfort of their own homes as the Blues defeated Heidenheim, with the pair expected to form the midfield duo this weekend.

Suffering a fresh hamstring injury, Reece James is taking a day-by-day approach as he builds back up to fitness, with the former England international set to miss a number of weeks.

Malo Gusto has not featured for the Blues since the end of the international break, whilst Pedro Neto is fighting back from a knock picked up whilst on duty with Portugal.

Sitting on the bench for Tuesday's clash with Juve, Ezri Konsa is expected to regain his spot in the Aston Villa XI alongside Pau Torres.

As a result, Diego Carlos could be the unfortunate man to drop out of the visitors' backline, assuming that Emery decides to continue with Matty Cash at right-back.

Earning a reputation for his goalscoring antics off the bench, Colombian sensation Jhon Duran is pushing for a start at the expense of leading marksman Watkins.

Chelsea possible starting lineup:

Sanchez; Gusto, Fofana, Colwill, Cucurella; Caicedo, Fernandez, Madueke, Palmer, Neto; Jackson

Aston Villa possible starting lineup:

Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Torres, Digne; Kamara, Tielemans, Bailey, McGinn, Rogers; Watkins

We say: Chelsea 2-1 Aston Villa

Utilising the impressive depth of their squad in the Conference League on Thursday night, Chelsea's leading stars should be fresh and ready to put an out-of-form Aston Villa to the sword at Stamford Bridge.

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