Aston Villa vs Chelsea – Match preview and team news

The Football Faithful

·22 February 2025

Aston Villa vs Chelsea – Match preview and team news

Aston Villa entertain Chelsea on Saturday knowing a win would take them within one point of the west London outfit.

There has been disgruntlement amongst the Villa camp about having to play five matches in the space of 13 days. After drawing against Liverpool in midweek, Unai Emery’s side play today, Tuesday and next Friday in the FA Cup against Cardiff.

OneFootball Videos

The tight schedule puts further pressure on a squad that is defensively thin due to injuries. Ezri Konsa and Leon Bailey will be assessed ahead of this evening’s contest. The pair were involved in training on Friday evening, but Emery may take a cautious approach in starting them. Axel Disasi is ineligible to play against his parent club while Amadou Onana, Pau Torres and Boubacar Kamara have all been ruled out.

Chelsea are looking to break back into the top four with a victory at Villa Park. Typically, it’s been a happy hunting ground for the Blues – they’ve only been defeated once at the venue since 2014.

Maresca is expecting most of the players on the injury list to return after the March international break. Noni Madueke was the latest casualty and was forced off last weekend away to Brighton with a hamstring issue. The other individuals on the treatment table include Nicolas Jackson, Benoit Badiashile, Romeo Lavia, Wesley Fofana and Marc Guiu.

Aston Villa vs Chelsea – Match preview and team news

Form

Aston Villa: WLWDD

Villa were in action in midweek as they held Liverpool to a 2-2 draw at Villa Park on Wednesday night. It was an entertaining clash in Birmingham and either side could’ve have snatched the three points in the closing stages.

Critically speaking, Villa’s poor form has gone slightly under the radar. Despite the stalemate with the league leaders being regarded as a positive result, it did stretch their winless run in the Premier League to five games.

During that period, they have drawn at home to Ipswich, West Ham and Liverpool and lost away to local rivals Wolves. The Villans are five points adrift of the top four and have also played a game extra than the majority of the league.

Chelsea: WLWLL

The Blues have faltered over the past few months, which has put their title ambitions to bed. Including their goalless draw with Everton on 22 December, Chelsea have only picked up nine points from the last 27 available.

A recent double defeat away to Brighton saw them crash out of the FA Cup before being beaten 3-0 by the Seagulls in the league less than a week later.

Enzo Maresca’s side haven’t won away from home in any competition this calendar year. Their last triumph on their travels was a 3-1 win over FC Astana in the Europa Conference League.

However, three points this evening could see them climb back into the coveted top four – if Manchester City and Bournemouth fail to win.

Last Meeting

Chelsea 3-0 Aston Villa, Premier League, 1 December 2024

An accomplished performance from Chelsea helped them triumph over Aston Villa last December. It didn’t take long for the Blues to gain the advantage on a wintry afternoon in west London.

In the seventh minute, Marc Cucurella dashed to the byline before cutting it back to Nicolas Jackson. Chelsea’s number 14 instinctively swept the ball beyond Emiliano Martinez with the help of the woodwork.

Ollie Watkins then spurned a glorious opportunity to level matters after a brisk counter-attack. The Villa marksman got the better of Wesley Fofana, but he couldn’t find a way past the grasp of Spanish stopper Robert Sanchez.

The goalkeeper between the sticks at the other end, Martinez, was then the most relieved man on the pitch after his mistake went unpunished. The World Cup winner inexplicably presented the ball straight to Jackson, but the goal scorer couldn’t react in time and Martinez did enough to spare his own blushes.

However, there was nothing the Argentine could do about Chelsea’s second goal. A neat interchange between Cole Palmer and Enzo Fernandez saw the latter pick up possession in a central area. The ball invitingly sat up for a volley and Fernandez didn’t hesitate as he poked the ball past his fellow countryman.

Villa did have chances to reduce the deficit. Sanchez was equal to another tame attempt from Watkins before Levi Colwill cleared Jhon Duran’s header off the line in the second half.

Enzo Maresca’s side cemented the victory in the closing stages through a familiar source. Palmer shifted the ball onto his stronger left foot before unleashing an unstoppable effort that was destined to penetrate the top corner.

A jubilant afternoon at Stamford Bridge took the Blues within six points of league leaders Liverpool. Fast forward nearly three months later and that gap has tripled in size to 18 points.

What time is kick-off?

Kick-off at Villa Park will be at 17:30 GMT on Saturday 22nd February 2025.

Who is the referee?

Michael Oliver will be the match official. Stuart Burt and James Mainwaring will assist him while Dean Whitestone will be the fourth official. The VAR will be Paul Tierney and he will be assisted by Richard West.