Chelsea VS Aston Villa, a draw game

Match Time：12/29/2020 01:30 Tuesday  (GMT+8)

English Premier League --  Chelsea   VS   Aston Villa

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Chelsea will be aiming to bounce back from their dampening derby defeat to Arsenal when they welcome Aston Villa to Stamford Bridge on Monday.

In contrast, Villa head to Stamford Bridge following a resounding 3-0 win over Crystal Palace, with Dean Smith's side playing the second 45 with 10 men on Boxing Day.

 

Match preview

Fresh from a resounding 3-0 victory over local rivals West Ham United, Chelsea made the trip across the capital to take on Arsenal with the goal of marching to their second successive triumph in a London derby.

However, Arsenal simply outclassed the title-chasing Blues in spite of their recent struggles, with Alexandre Lacazette, Granit Xhaka and Bukayo Saka all netting for the Gunners at the Emirates Stadium, with Tammy Abraham pulling one back for the Blues late on.

Jorginho also saw a late penalty saved by Bernd Leno as Arsenal came up trumps in a Boxing Day shock, with the defeat in North London representing Chelsea's third loss in four matches following previous away defeats to Everton and Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Leicester and Manchester United had played out a 2-2 draw before Chelsea took to the pitch at the Emirates Stadium, but Frank Lampard's men missed the chance to leapfrog their opponents into second and will be desperate to bounce back as soon as possible, but getting the better of Villa will not be a walk in the park whatsoever.

Aston Villa headed into their game with Crystal Palace having eased past Sam Allardyce's West Bromwich Albion before the festive fixtures, with Dean Smith's side hoping to stretch their unbeaten run to four matches on Boxing Day.

Bertrand Traore took just five minutes to break the deadlock at Villa Park before Tyrone Mings was sent off on the stroke of half time, but Kortney Hause doubled Villa's lead before Anwar El Ghazi smashed home to ensure that Dean Smith's side took the spoils with 10 men.

Smith's men produced a truly dominant performance in the West Midlands despite being a man down for most of the game, and that win - their third in four Premier League matches - temporarily moves them up to seventh before Sunday's fixtures take place.

Chelsea go into the visit of Villa hoping to record their seventh consecutive win over the West Midlands outfit - with manager Lampard the top scorer in this fixture with 14 goals to his name - and Villa's most recent win at Stamford Bridge came on New Year's Eve in 2011.

 

Chelsea Premier League form: DWLLWL

Chelsea form (all competitions): WDLLWL

Aston Villa Premier League form: LLWDWW

 

Team News

Reece James and Ben Chilwell both made the starting lineup against Arsenal despite previous doubts over injuries, but the duo may be spared here with only 48 hours in between games.

Hakim Ziyech was ruled out of Boxing Day's defeat but could come back here, although the winger is unlikely to be thrown straight back into the starting lineup after his injury.

Cesar Azpilicueta, Emerson Palmieri, Kai Havertz and Callum Hudson-Odoi could all be in line for starts on Monday evening, while Olivier Giroud will also be hopeful of featuring from the off.

As for Villa, Mings will play no part in this one following his sending off on Boxing Day, meaning that Ezri Konsa is set for a recall to the starting lineup.

Ross Barkley did not make the squad against Palace despite returning to the training pitches after an injury, and the Chelsea loanee is ineligible to face his parent club on Monday.

Smith will not want to make too many alterations despite the quick turnaround in fixtures, but Neil Taylor and Marvelous Nakamba are both ready to be called upon.

 

Chelsea possible starting lineup:

Mendy; Azpilicueta, Zouma, Silva, Emerson; Kante, Jorginho, Havertz; Pulisic, Giroud, Hudson-Odoi

Aston Villa possible starting lineup:

Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Hause, Taylor; Luiz, Nakamba; Traore, Grealish, El Ghazi; Watkins

 

Chelsea 2-2 Aston Villa

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