Chelsea face Aston Villa this evening looking to improve their fortunes. After suffering an early FA Cup exit at the hands of Brighton, Chelsea were comfortably beaten 3-0 by the same opposition last Friday which means they have lost three of their last four games across all competitions. In the Premier League, a run of two wins from nine has seen Enzo Maresca's side slip out of title contention and into a battle for a top-four finish.
The Blues are missing a number of key attacking players due to injury with Noni Madueke the latest to be sidelined but as this is a fixture between two top-four hopefuls, it's important Chelsea arrest their slump. Maresca faces a big decision over whether to start youngster Tyrique George given Jadon Sancho and Pedro Neto's recent form.
Villa themselves aren't in great form. Without a win five Premier League games since beating Everton but they are unbeaten at home in the Premier League since August and impressed in the 2-2 draw with Liverpool earlier in the week. Follow the game LIVE below with our dedicated match blog, featuring expert insight and analysis from Malik Ouzia at Villa Park.
Aston Villa vs Chelsea latest news
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Kick-off: 5.30pm GMT | Villa Park
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How to watch: Sky Sports
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Aston Villa team news: Konsa and Bailey face late fitness tests
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Chelsea team news: Madueke ruled out
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Standard Sport Prediction
Standard Sport prediction
15:20 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
Everything points towards a home win. Chelsea are not in good form, have looked vulnerable defensively in recent weeks and are struggling to pose a threat in attack.
However, Villa haven't been convincing either of late. Whilst they played well in the 2-2 draw with Liverpool in midweek, they failed to beat a 10-man Ipswich side at home last weekend.
The Blues actually have a decent record at Villa Park but they will have to dig in to leave with anything this evening.
1-1 draw
Chelsea team news
15:15 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
Chelsea will be without Noni Madueke this evening, after the winger was ruled out for weeks with a hamstring injury.
Madueke was forced off early in the damning 3-0 defeat to Brighton and Maresca confirmed on Friday that the Englishman will be out until after next month’s international break.
Madeuke joins Wesley Fofana, Benoit Badiashile, Romeo Lavia, Nicolas Jackson and Marc Guiu on the Chelsea sidelines, with Maresca suggesting that none of those players are likely to return until the other side of the break in April.
Aston Villa team news
15:10 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
Ross Barkley, Pau Torres, Amadou Onana and Boubacar Kamara are all unavailable for Aston Villa because of injury, whilst Axel Disasi cannot face his parent club.
However, Ezri Konsa and Leon Bailey could return having both missed the last two matches against Ipswich Town and Liverpool.
How to watch Aston Villa vs Chelsea
15:05 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
TV channel: The game will be broadcast on Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Premier League and Sky Sports Ultra HDR. Coverage starts at 5pm GMT ahead of a 5.30pm GMT kick-off time.
Live stream: Subscribers will be able to watch via the Sky Go app.
Free highlights: Match of the Day will also show highlights when it airs at 10.30pm GMT on BBC One.
LIVE coverage: Follow all the action with Standard Sport’s dedicated match blog!
Welcome
14:59 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
Hello and welcome to Standard Sport’s LIVE coverage of Aston Villa vs Chelsea!
An important game in the battle for Champions League qualification, as Chelsea have the chance to create some distance between themselves and Aston Villa in the Premier League table.
We’ll have all the latest updates, build-up and team news ahead of kick-off, which comes at 5.30pm GMT from Villa Park!
