Aston Villa face Chelsea in the Premier League’s late kick-off today, with both sides still firmly in the hunt for Champions League football.
While Villa’s draw to Liverpool in midweek was a good result, it left Unai Emery’s side in ninth with 39 points, four below Chelsea and five off fourth-placed Manchester City.
Though Villa will fancy their chances of achieving European football, a win today is vital for any hopes of cracking the top five.
And they face a Chelsea side who have endured a poor run of form since December, falling from second to sixth, with last weekend’s disappointing 3-0 loss to Brighton meaning that the Blues face their own fight to secure a Champions League place that looked set in stone just a couple of months ago.
Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the match:
When is Aston Villa vs Chelsea?
The match kicks off at 5.30pm GMT on Saturday, 22 February at Villa Park.
How can I watch the match?
The match will be shown live in the UK on Sky Sports Premier League and Main Event, with coverage starting at 5pm.
If you’re not a Sky customer, you can grab a NOWTV Day Pass to watch without a subscription.
Confirmed line-ups
Aston Villa XI: Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Mings, Maatsen; McGinn, Tielemans; Rogers, Asensio, Ramsey; Watkins.
Chelsea XI: Jorgensen; Gusto, James, Chalobah, Colwill, Cucurella; Caicedo, Fernandez; Palmer, Neto, Nkunku.
Team news
Unai Emery has made four changes to the side that drew 2-2 to Liverpool last week.
Three changes are in defence, with Matty Cash and Ezri Konsa returning from injury to replace Andres Garcia and Axel Disasi. In addition, Ian Maatsen comes in for Lucas Digne at left-back.
In the forward line, Marcus Rashford drops out in favour of Jacob Ramsey, with Ollie Watkins once again leading the attack.
Enzo Maresca has made just one change to the side that lost 3-0 to Brighton last week, with Reece James returning in place of the injured Noni Madueke.
It looks like the Blues are setting up in a back five of some sort, with Malo Gusto and Marc Cucurella as the wing-backs.
In attack, it looks like Christopher Nkunku will lead the line, with Cole Palmer and Pedro Neto on the wings.
Odds
Aston Villa win - 17/10
Draw - 12/5
Chelsea win - 31/20
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Prediction
Villa have had mixed results in recent games despite a successful January transfer window, but the club tend to step it up against big teams – especially at Villa Park – and they should enjoy success against a Chelsea side who have been poor over the last few weeks.
Aston Villa 2-1 Chelsea.
