Chelsea continues their bid for the Premier League after a promising start this weekend when they take on Aston Villa. The match schedules for Saturday at Stamford Bridge, with kickoff at 7:30 pm.
Last time, the Blues put up a defensive display at Anfield while being one man down to pick up a crucial point. On the other hand, Aston Villa secured a disappointing 1-1 draw to newcomers Brentford.
Tuchel’s start has been nothing but impressed with back-to-back wins over Crystal Palace and Arsenal. In addition, Chelsea looked set to give Liverpool a disappointment on their home turf for the first 45 minutes.
In-form Kai Havert scored a wonderful header that dipped past Allison to set the ground running. After a few minutes to the first half whistle, Chelsea suffered a major setback. Right-back, Reece James received marching orders after a handball goal clearance.
Mohamed Salah did not fail to convert the penalty on the spot. However, the defensive unit did not appear shaken as they ended the final 90 minutes with the same scoreline. Currently, Chelsea has seven points in their opening three matches.
On the other hand, things are not as rosy as Dean Smith hoped. Two players face a five-day ban in the Premier League after breaking the Covid-19 protocols during the international break.
Emiliano Martinez and Emiliano Buendia face a ban after traveling to feature against Argentina in the World Cup qualifiers.
Chelsea vs. Aston Villa Head to Head
Both sides have 24 games against each other, with Chelsea taking 14 wins while Aston Villa with five wins. Here is a look at their previous encounters:
Home
- Liverpool 1-1 Chelsea
- Arsenal 0-2 Chelsea
- Chelsea 3-0 Crystal Palace
- Chelsea 1-1 Villarreal
- Tottenham 2-2 Chelsea
Away
- Aston Villa 1-1 Brentford
- Barrow 0-6 Aston Villa
- Aston Villa 2-0 Newcastle United
- Watford 3-2 Aston Villa
- Aston Villa 3-1 Salernitana
Chelsea Team News
Right-back Reece James begins his red card suspension. However, Captain Cesar Azpicuelta will step in to replace him. A Fifa-imposed suspension also rules out Thiago Silva from taking part. Romelu Lukaku suffered a minor thigh injury but looked set to feature.
Aston Villa Team News
Buendia and Emiliano will serve their Fifa-imposed suspension this weekend. Other sidelined faces ahead of the clash include Trezeguet and Keinan Davis.
Prediction and Odds
Aston Villa looks disadvantaged with the Fifa ban coming into effect against an in-form Chelsea camp.
- Chelsea Win
- Goals Over 1.5
- Lukaku to Score
