The Carabao FA Cup fourth-round replay will be held at Villa Park, on Thursday (08/02) at 01.30 IST, between Aston Villa and Chelsea. The first match at Stamford Bridge ended in a 0-0 draw.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Mauricio Pochettino, Chelsea coach, is under pressure after the club suffered two consecutive defeats in the Premier League and conceded eight goals, against Liverpool (1-4) and Wolverhampton Wanderers (2-4).
Defeat to Villa will see Chelsea thrown out of the FA Cup, leaving the League Cup final as the only chance for Ben Chilwell et al to end the season with a trophy. Moreover, Chelsea is far from a European position in the Premier League.
Team News
Three players absent from Villa are Emiliano Buendia, Tyrone Mings and Jhon Duran. Meanwhile, the four players whose condition is doubtful are Lucas Digne, Pau Torres, Douglas Luiz and Nicolo Zaniolo.
Chelsea’s injury storm is also not over with the absence of eight players: Levi Colwill, Lesley Ugochukwu, Romeo Lavia, Carney Chukwuemeka, Trevoh Chalobah, Marc Cucurella, Reece James and Wesley Fofana.
Comment
Unai Emery asked for the support of fans at Villa Park so that Villa can get rid of Chelsea. Emery predicts Chelsea will be a difficult opponent, especially after defeats to Liverpool and Wolves.
“Tomorrow, playing at home with our supporters must be the best moment for Aston Villa supporters to gather and try to connect at Villa Park,” explained Emery.
“We want to win, we want to impose our game and our skills. But we need our best supporters, players, performances, our best support in the stadium for our fans.”
“I wish Chelsea well. Tomorrow, I wish Chelsea the best because they reached the League Cup final. For them, this competition is also very important because they are not in Europe.”
Meanwhile, Mauricio Pochettino emphasized that his team has confidence in him, and vice versa. He also received support from management.
“I said to the players today, I believe in you more than ever. I will support you more than ever,” said Pochettino.
“I’m not a typical boss, I’m a leader. I think I need to reflect in every action that I trust the players we have. We will face this moment and know that we can bounce back and win the game.”
“I received a very good message from them. I think we are all united on this and that is important. Of course I am in touch with them and the sporting director every day.”
Statistics
- Villa kept clean sheets in the last three matches against Chelsea in all competitions, more than the previous 26 matches (two clean sheets).
- Chelsea have progressed from FA Cup replays eight of their last nine matches.
- Chelsea lost 0-4 against Manchester City in the last away match in the FA Cup.
- Villa lost five times in their last five FA Cup matches.
Head to Head
Chelsea 0-0 Aston Villa (FA Cup 2024)
Chelsea 0-1 Aston Villa (Premier League 2023)
Chelsea 0-2 Aston Villa (Premier League 2023)
Aston Villa 0-2 Chelsea (Premier League 2021)
Aston Villa 1-3 Chelsea (Premier League 2021)
Player Lineup Predictions and Forecasts
Aston Villa (4-4-2): Emiliano Martinez; Matty Cash, Ezri Konsa, Clement Lenglet, Alex Moreno; Leon Bailey, Boubacar Kamara, Douglas Luiz, John McGinn; Moussa Diaby, Ollie Watkins
Coach: Unai Emery
Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Djordje Petrovic; Malo Gusto, Axel Disasi, Benoit Badiashile, Ben Chilwell; Carney Chukwuemeka, Enzo Fernandez; Cole Palmer, Christopher Nkunku, Mykhaylo Mudryk; Nicolas Jackson
Coach: Mauricio Pochettino
FootemXtra Prediction: Aston Villa 0-1 Chelsea