Aston Villa return to action in the Premier League on Saturday night, as Unai Emery’s side welcomes Chelsea to Villa Park, a game that could tempt the manager to tweak his starting lineup.
After the highs of their previous two wins in the Premier League, Aston Villa will be hoping to secure a third consecutive victory to aid their Champions League ambitions.
The Villans currently sit six points clear of Tottenham in fourth place, with the Lilywhites having two games in hand, making every game a must-win until the end of the campaign.
Up next comes Chelsea at Villa Park, a side that is largely inconsistent and somewhat difficult to prepare for, as it’s never clear which version of Mauricio Pochettino’s side will turn up on the day.
Still, Unai Emery’s primary concern will be to claim three points, with there a possibility for the manager to make a slight adjustment to the squad that started against Bournemouth last week.
Aston Villa team news v Chelsea
It’s been a frustrating season for Villa who have somehow managed to remain on track to deliver their targets amid a host of injury woes.
Against Chelsea, Villa will of course be without long-term absentees Tyrone Mings, Emiliano Buendia, Boubacar Kamara and Jacob Ramsey, with Alex Moreno joining the list of those out of contention.
Nicolo Zaniolo is a doubt however there is some positivity in that midfield maestro, Douglas Luiz will return to the fold after serving his two-match suspension.
While Luiz is one obvious switch for the manager to make, Emery could also be tempted to alter his defence in order to contain one key threat Chelsea possess.
Why Aston Villa must start Diego Carlos against Chelsea
Lauded as “immense” by Gary Neville for his Man of the Match performance against Arsenal almost two weeks ago, it was disappointing to see Diego Carlos dropped to the bench last time out against Bournemouth.
After Matty Cash’s below-par performance at right-back against the Cherries, Emery could be tempted to revert to his back four of Ezri Konsa, Diego Carlos, Pau Torres and Lucas Digne, with the Brazilian having a key role to play against the Blues.
When assessing the most prominent areas of danger that Chelsea have, Cole Palmer is the most obvious threat, however, the playing style of Nicolas Jackson must not be overlooked.
Emery will know the problems that the forward can cause after coaching him at Villarreal, putting his recent spell of poor form in front of goal aside, Carlos could be needed to limit the Senegalese talent’s pace.
Once praised for his “phenomenal acceleration” by U23 scout Antonio Mango, one of Jackson’s best qualities is his pace, power and directness when in possession, something that Villa’s Brazilian centre-back could extinguish.
The former Sevilla ace is undoubtedly Villa’s fastest centre-back, with him having the ability to match Jackson when it comes to physicality and pace off the ball, an element to his game that could be crucial against the Blues on Saturday.
Only time will tell if Emery decides to make the change however, when analysing Chelsea, it could be deemed a fundamental switch for the Villa boss to make.
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