Aston Villa vs. Chelsea

February 6, 2024

Aston Villa take on Chelsea in a replay of their FA Cup fourth round tie at Villa Park on Wednesday night.

Both sides played out a goalless draw at Stamford Bridge last month, and a home meeting with Championship side Leeds United is in store for the midweek victor.

The Villans already claimed a 1-0 victory at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League this season (in September), with Ollie Watkins' 73^rd-minute winner securing them consecutive Premier League wins against the Blues for the first time in 30 years.

All in all, Chelsea failed to score in their last three competitive meetings with Aston Villa - since a 2-0 victory at Villa Park in October 2022.

Aston Villa Betting Preview (+110 at Everygame)

The Villans produced a dominant performance to dismantle rock-bottom Sheffield United on Saturday evening. They already led 4-0 in the 30^th minute and Unai Emery's men conserved their energy for the upcoming FA Cup clash with Clehsea.

The victory against Sheffield United was a much-needed result as Villa have won just one of their previous five Premier League matches (1-2-2) and it was a last-gasp win over relegation-threatened Burnley on 30 December. Moreover, Aston Villa suffered their first home league defeat since last February when Unai Emery's side lost 3-1 to Newcastle United last week.

However, Unai Emery's side enhanced their Champions League credentials as they sit fourth in the Premier League table, two points clear of Tottenham Hotspur in fifth, with an upcoming home match against fellow top-four hopefuls Manchester United this weekend.

Unai Emery's decision to take key midfielder Douglas Luiz off at the break to ensure his fitness remains high for the busy fixture schedule ahead speaks a lot. The Brazilian should start against Chelsea and Boubacar Kamara should partner him in the middle.

With his latest performance against Sheffield United (one goal and two assists), Ollie Watkins already boasts 11 goals and 10 assists in 23 Premier League appearances this term and the England forward will be looking to add to his tally in the FA Cup.

The Aston Villa boss, however, has a number of fitness concerns to work around for Wednesday's clash, as none of Tyrone Mings (knee), Emi Buendia (knee) or Jhon Duran (hamstring) will be returning anytime soon, while defender Ezri Konsa picked up a knee injury at the weekend and has been ruled out for a couple of weeks.

Elsewhere, left-back Lucas Digne (thigh) remains out of contention too, but on a slightly positive note, Unai Emery has confirmed that Spanish centre-back Pau Torres will be back on the bench after his own spell on the sidelines (ankle injury).

Bertrand Traore has also departed for Villarreal on a free transfer. However, on the back of an emphatic victory at Bramall Lane, Emery should see no need to alter the pack unless tired legs force his hand, with Matty Cash and Moussa Diaby expected to be the beneficiaries of such a scenario.

Chelsea Betting Preview (+230 at Everygame)

The Blues are still struggling to adjust themselves to the post Roman Abramovich era but this always promised to be a long process.

Chelsea sit 11^th in the Premier League table and Mauricio Pochettino guided the West London outfit to the League Cup final, where they'll face Liverpool later this month.

The West London side are coming into this FA Cup rematch off the back of four goals conceded against Liverpool and Wolverhampton Wanderers last week. Despite the latest news that the Argentine manager has the support of the board, Mauricio Pochettino is under real pressure, and a cup exit here could ramp that pressure up a notch.

Not since the 1974-75 season had Wolves completed a league double over Chelsea, but Gary O'Neil's clinical charges snapped that 49-year record on Sunday afternoon.

In the wake of back-to-back poor performances in the Premier League, the Chelsea boss will most likely consider a number of changes to his starting side as Benoit Badiashile, Carney Chukwuemeka, Mykhaylo Mudryk are also fighting for their right to start.

Mauricio Pochettino will remain without injured skipper Reece James, who looks set to remain sidelined until the spring. In addition to James, the Blues are still missing the likes of Robert Sanchez, Marc Cucurella, Levi Colwill, Trevoh Chalobah, Wesley Fofana, Roméo Lavia and Lesley Ugochukwu for this one.

Meanwhile, Nicolas Jackson made his return from the African Cup of Nations in the home loss to Wolves and the Senegalese forward should start after Armando Broja left to join West London rivals Fulham.

Possible Starting Lineups of Aston Villa and Chelsea

Aston Villa: Emiliano Martínez - Alex Moreno, Clement Lenglet, Diego Carlos, Matty Cash - Boubacar Kamara, Douglas Luiz - John McGinn, Youri Tielemans, Moussa Diaby - Ollie Watkins. (4-2-3-1)

Chelsea: Djordje Petrovic - Malo Gusto, Thiago Silva, Benoît Badiashile, Ben Chilwell - Enzo Fernandez, Conor Gallagher - Cole Palmer, Christopher Nkunku, Mykhailo Mudryk - Nicolas Jackson. (4-2-3-1)

Spooky Express Betting Prediction

Surprisingly, all of Aston Villa's last five home matches in the FA Cup have ended in defeat. Yet, the Birmingham outfit are very solid at home under Unai Emery and considering Chelsea's poor form and selection concerns, that curse should be lifted here.

Spooky Express Free Play: Aston Villa +110 at Everygame for 5/10 Units

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