FA Cup Match Preview – Chelsea vs Aston Villa | OneFootball

Eight-time winners Chelsea face Aston Villa in an all-Premier League tie in the FA Cup fourth round this weekend.

The Blues reached the EFL Cup final with a 6-2 aggregate dismantling of Middlesborough semi-finals in midweek, while Villa played out a goalless stalemate with Everton in the Premier League.

Here’s everything you need to know about this Friday’s clash.

Form

Chelsea: WWLWW

Mauricio Pochettino’s men have started to settle into life under their new manager. Following a shaky start to the season, the Blues have won seven of their last nine matches, with their most recent defeat to Middlesborough in the EFL Cup being overturned in the return leg 6-1.

The Blues raced into a four-goal lead before half-time against the Championship outfit, with the floodgates opening following a Jonathan Howson own goal.

A Cole Palmer brace, along with goals from Enzo Fernandez, Axel Disasi and Noni Madueke saw the Blues sail into a 6-0 lead on the night before Morgan Rogers netted a late consolation for Michael Carrick’s men.

A full-strength Chelsea side had earlier cruised into the FA Cup fourth round, with a 4-0 win at Stamford Bridge against Preston North-End.

The Lilywhites went into the break at 0-0, before a Raheem Sterling-inspired second half saw the score finish 4-0. The 29-year-old scored a free-kick and picked up an assist on the night as Chelsea began their quest for a first FA Cup win since 2018.

Summer signing Christopher Nkunku has been ruled out, with the Frenchman struggling with various injuries to start off his career in West London.

The Blues have an array of long-term absentees in the squad with Reece James, Marc Cucurella and Wesley Fofana all out for the foreseeable future.

Aston Villa: DWWLD

Unai Emery’s side’s rise has taken the Premier League by storm this campaign as they sit in fourth, just five points behind leaders Liverpool with 17 matches to go.

In their last game, Everton held Villa to a 0-0 draw at Goodison Park, but Alex Moreno thought he’d given the away side a first-half lead, only for it to be ruled out by VAR.

The Villans have struggled in the FA Cup in recent seasons. Since reaching the final back in 2015, where they were comfortably beaten 4-0 by Arsenal, the West Midlands club have not reached the fifth round. Before this season, Villa had been eliminated in the third round in seven straight seasons.

Middlesbrough were within three minutes of forcing a third-round replay but a deflected effort from Matty Cash saw Villa secure a fourth-round spot for the first time since 2016.

Bertrand Traore is representing Burkina Faso at AFCON so will miss the clash and left-back Lucas Digne is a doubt following a thigh problem. Jacob Ramsey is also likely to miss the game.

Last Meeting

Chelsea 0-1 Aston Villa, September 24th 2023.

A second-half strike from Ollie Watkins was enough to sink 10-man Chelsea at Stamford Bridge the last time the two sides met.

The England international’s strike came in the second half when he finished through the legs of Robert Sanchez from a tight angle after being played through by strike partner Moussa Diaby.

In the 58th minute, Malo Gusto was originally shown a yellow card for a high challenge on Lucas Digne by referee Jarred Gillett. Following a VAR check, the Frenchman’s card was upgraded to a red.

The result left Chelsea dwindling in 14th place after only picking up five points from their first six games, while Villa sat in the European places, which gave them an early platform to build their impressive form upon.

Predicted Lineups

Chelsea: Petrovic; Disasi, Silva, Colwill, Chilwell; Caicedo, Fernandez; Sterling, Palmer, Mudryk; Broja.

Aston Villa: Martinez; Konsa, Carlos, Pau, Moreno; Bailey, Kamara, Luiz, McGinn; Diaby, Watkins.

Who is the referee?

Robert Jones.

Is Chelsea vs Aston Villa on TV?

UK: Not televised live in the UK or Ireland.

USA: ESPN+.

What time is kick-off?

Friday 26th January, 19:45 GMT.

Odds

Chelsea – 11/10

Draw – 5/2

Aston Villa – 23/10

Read more: Chelsea ‘not desperate’ to sign players before deadline

Read also: Five of the Premier League’s best ever January loan signings

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