A surging Aston Villa side looks to extend their seven-match winning streak and widen the gap in the title race against a Chelsea team bolstered by the return of Liam Delap.
Aston Villa travel to Stamford Bridge on Saturday seeking an eighth consecutive Premier League victory in a high-profile clash between fourth and third place.
While the sides sit close in the standings, Unai Emery’s men could pull ten points clear of Chelsea with a win.
Villa arrive as the league’s most inform side, a dramatic reversal after failing to score in the opening month, and now firmly challenge Manchester City and Arsenal for the title.
The spotlight falls on Villa’s Morgan Rogers, who has scored seven goals in 17 games, including consecutive braces.
He faces a stiff test against Chelsea’s Reece James, who recently salvaged a draw for the Blues against Newcastle.
Speculating on James’s role, the report notes: “It would probably make more sense to have him in his natural position to help nullify Rogers’ threat, but what do we know!”
Team news sees Chelsea boosted by the early return of striker Liam Delap, though Levi Colwill remains sidelined with an ACL injury.
Villa will be without Harvey Elliott due to illness and Evann Guessand, who has departed for international duty.
Despite Chelsea’s historical resilience in “big games,” current momentum favors the visitors, with analysts predicting a -3-1 victory for Aston Villa as “everything that Villa touch right now is turning to gold.”