FA Cup 5th round is set to be underway

Chelsea are not having the best of seasons and may not end up in the top four of the Premier League table this campaign. Mauricio Pochettino’s side were expected at least to push for the UEFA Champions League places in the standings this season, but things have not been rosy for the London club. The Blues are ninth in the Premier League table at the moment with 31 points from 21 matches. Chelsea are 12 points behind fourth-placed Aston Villa in the league table. The home side will give their all to beat the tough opponent and progress into the next round.

Aston Villa are having a great season. Unai Emery’s side are exceeding expectations at the moment. Not only are the Villans in the running for the Premier League top four this season, they could even launch an unlikely challenge for the title. The Villans will fancy a long run in the FA Cup. Manager Unai Emery knows how to get his teams to win cup matches and competitions, and the fans will hope for an exciting time in the FA Cup this season.

Kick-Off:

Friday, 26th Jan, 2024, 07:45 PM (GMT), 2:45 PM (EST)

Saturday, 27-01-2024, 01:15 AM (IST)

Stadium: Stamford Bridge

Form

Chelsea Form (All Competitions): W-L-W-W-W

Aston Villa Form (All Competitions): D-W-W-L-D

Players to Watch

Enzo Fernandez (Chelsea)

Fernández is a right-footed midfielder who has experience as a number eight in central midfield and a deeper defensive-midfield position. He has a broad skillset, contributing a great deal both in and out of possession. He is often the player who drops in to create a back three and allow the full-backs to advance. He also has very good long-range passing ability and is capable of switching play. In possession, Fernández will regularly look to play long balls, either switching the play to the advancing right-back or lofting balls in behind for the left-back to chase. He will be a key player in this match.

Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa)

Watkins is a versatile forward comfortable withdrawing into a deeper position to link play, contesting more direct passes, and remaining in the penalty area to pose a close-range threat. Watkins is a pacey striker with a tendency to make runs in behind.  One truly fascinating skill of Watkins is how he can exploit space in between defenders and in the box.

Match Facts

• The most common result of matches between Chelsea FC and Aston Villa is 1-1. 8 matches have ended with this result.
• The winner of their last meeting was Aston Villa.
• Chelsea FC haven’t won any of their last 3 games against Aston Villa.

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Injury and Team News

Chelsea have struggled significantly with injuries this season, and the Blues will be without several first-team players for the FA Cup once more. Lesley Ugochukwu, Marc Cucurella, Romeo Lavia, Wesley Fofana, Reece James, Christopher Nkunku, and Robert Sanchez are all sidelined with injuries at the Africa Cup of Nations, whereas Nicolas Jackson is representing Senegal. 

For Villa, Bertrand Traore is the only player who has been called up to the AFCON; alongside Lucas Digne, long-term knee injuries Emiliano Buendia and Tyrone Mings are also out of contention. According to Emery, Pau Torres (ankle) and Youri Tielemans (calf) have participated in team training recently and are expected to be available. 

Head-to-Head

Matches: 61

Chelsea: 31

Aston Villa: 16

Draws: 14

Predicted Lineup for Chelsea vs Aston Villa

Chelsea Predicted Lineup (4-2-3-1):

Petrovic(GK); Colwill, Silva, Disasi, Gusgto; Caicedo, Enzo; Palmer, Gallagher, Sterling; Broja

Aston Villa Predicted Lineup (4-4-2):

Martinez(GK); Konsa, Carlos, Lenglet, Moreno; Bailey, Kamara, Luiz, McGinn; Diaby, Watkins

Match Prediction for Chelsea vs Aston Villa

Chelsea are in good form now and will fancy going on a long run in the FA Cup. Playing at home will give the Blues an advantage against Aston Villa. While Unai Emery will be keen on Villa winning the competition, Chelsea will likely win the tie.

Prediction: Chelsea 2-1 Aston Villa

Telecast

India – Sony Sports

UK – BBC, ITV

US –  ESPN

Nigeria – Supersport

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