Overview
The sale of Jhon Duran has brought many benefits to Aston Villa, not only in terms of finances. In the opposite direction, they recruited Malen, Rashford and Asensio - who are supporting Watkins very well to shine with consecutive goals in the Champions League and Premier League. That is why Aston Villa still score regularly despite Morgan Rogers' decline in form.
However, injuries to Pau Torres and Ezri Konsa have caused problems in Villa's defense. Alternatives often don't play well when under pressure. As a result, their defenders continuously made mistakes when being approached, typically in the match against Liverpool in the previous round. In just their last 5 matches, they have conceded 8 goals.
Meanwhile, Chelsea have more problems. Cole Palmer is on a 5-match streak without scoring or assisting. Therefore, Chelsea's form has also declined significantly with 3 defeats in the last 5 matches.
The attack is unstable but the Blues' defense is even worse. They have conceded 10 goals in their last 5 matches, with a series of mistakes from goalkeeper Robert Sanchez.
All of these problems suggest Chelsea will have a tough game at Villa Park.
Chelsea have a good head-to-head record against Villa with 4 consecutive unbeaten matches (2 wins and 2 draws). Their recent record at Villa Park has also been impressive, with three wins and one draw in their last four games. Aston Villa's most recent home win over Chelsea was in May 2021.
Personnel situation
Aston Villa have six players who are not in this match, with Pau Torres, Amadou Onana, Boubacar Kamara, Ezri Konsa, Leon Bailey and Ross Barkley all hospitalized. Meanwhile, Axel Disasi is not eligible to play because Chelsea is his parent club.
On the other side of the front line, The Blues also have their own problems with Noni Madueke, Nicolas Jackson, Wesley Fofana, Omari Kellyman, Romeo Lavia and Marc Guiu all absent.
Expected lineup:
Aston Villa: Martinez, Garcia, Bogarde, Mings, Digne, McGinn, Tielemans, Rogers, Asensio, Rashford, Watkins.
Chelsea: Jorgensen, James, Tosin, Colwill, Cucurella, Fernandez, Caicedo, Neto, Palmer, Sancho, Nkunku.
The match between Aston Villa and Chelsea takes place at 0:30 am on March 23 (Vietnam time).
