The stage is set for one of the biggest English Premier League fixtures of the weekend as Chelsea welcome Aston Villa to Stamford Bridge on Saturday evening.
The highly anticipated clash is scheduled to kick off at 6:30 pm Nigerian time, with both teams heading into the encounter in contrasting positions on the league table.
Chelsea comes into the fixture after battling to a 2-2 draw against Newcastle United, showing resilience after conceding late in the game.
Aston Villa, on the other hand, arrive in London full of confidence after securing a 2-1 victory over Manchester United, a result that strengthened their title credentials.
Under manager Unai Emery, Aston Villa have enjoyed a strong run against the Blues in recent Premier League meetings.
The West Midlands side have won three of their last five league games against Chelsea, recording one draw and one defeat in the process.
After 17 league matches, Emery’s men sit third on the Premier League table, holding a seven-point advantage over fourth-placed Chelsea.
Villa are firmly in the title race, sitting just one point behind second-placed Manchester City and three points adrift of leaders Arsenal.
A victory at Stamford Bridge would keep their Premier League title hopes firmly alive.
Chelsea, however, are technically out of the title race and will be focused on disrupting Villa’s momentum while strengthening their push for a top-four finish.
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca may be without Brazilian winger Estêvão, who missed recent games against Cardiff City and Newcastle United.
Also ruled out for the Blues are Levi Colwill, Dário Essugo and Roméo Lavia.
However, Maresca offered a boost to Chelsea fans during his pre-match press conference, hinting that striker Liam Delap is set to make his return against Aston Villa.
For Aston Villa, Jadon Sancho will be available to face his former loan side, Chelsea, in what is expected to be an emotional return to Stamford Bridge.
However, fellow loanee Harvey Elliott is battling illness and is unlikely to feature in the encounter.
Emery will also be without Evann Guessand, who has been handed a late call-up to the Ivory Coast national team ahead of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.
In addition, former Chelsea midfielder Ross Barkley will miss the clash due to injury.
