MX23RW : Wednesday, May 1 00:47:23| >> :120:7235:7235:
[monks data]
Chelsea logo
Premier League | Gameweek 16
Dec 28, 2020 at 5.30pm UK
Stamford Bridge
Aston Villa logo

Chelsea
1 - 1
Aston Villa

Giroud (34')
Azpilicueta (45+2'), Giroud (71'), Kante (74')
FT(HT: 1-0)
El Ghazi (50')
El Ghazi (71')

How Chelsea could line up against Aston Villa

Sports Mole looks at how Chelsea could line up for their Premier League clash with Aston Villa on Monday evening.

Chelsea will be desperate to quickly recover from their chastening defeat at Arsenal when they welcome Aston Villa to Stamford Bridge for Monday's Premier League showdown.

The Blues were simply outclassed by an Arsenal side languishing in the bottom half of the table, with Alexandre Lacazette, Granit Xhaka and Bukayo Saka all on target while Tammy Abraham netted a late consolation for Chelsea.

Frank Lampard's men missed the chance to go second with that defeat to their London rivals, but on the other hand, Aston Villa eased to a 3-0 victory over Crystal Palace despite playing the entire second half with 10 men.

Here, Sports Mole looks at how Chelsea could line up for the visit of Villa.



POSS CHE XI vs. VIL

Doubtful: Hakim Ziyech (hamstring)

Both teams only have 48 hours to recover from their Boxing Day fixtures, and Lampard will certainly look to rotate after a performance which he claimed was simply "not good enough" against Arsenal.

Reece James and Ben Chilwell both passed late fitness tests to start at the Emirates, but Cesar Azpilicueta and Emerson Palmieri may be called upon for this one as Lampard hopes to avoid any more injury problems for his two first-choice left-backs.

Hakim Ziyech was ruled out of the trip to Arsenal, and while the former Ajax winger is edging closer to a comeback, it would be a surprise to see Ziyech make the starting lineup here.

As a result, Christian Pulisic - who was bright on Boxing Day - should start again on Monday, but on the opposite flank, Callum Hudson-Odoi could be promoted to the first XI after Timo Werner struggled to make an impact in North London.

Olivier Giroud was left on the bench against his former club but could feature from the off here if Tammy Abraham is granted a rest, with the 34-year-old hoping to rediscover his goalscoring touch as soon as possible.

N'Golo Kante is expected to keep his spot in midfield, while Kai Havertz could potentially replace Mason Mount in Lampard's engine room. Jorginho missed a late penalty against the Gunners, but the Italian is also a possible starter given the quick turnaround in fixtures.


Video prediction

Watch the Sports Mole Football Shorts prediction for this game below:


ID:427987: cacheID:427987:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:5857:No Data Analysis info
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Bukayo Saka pictured celebrating after scoring for Arsenal on October 4, 2020
Read Next:
Combined XI: Arsenal vs. Chelsea
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Arsenal35255585285780
2Manchester CityMan City34247382325079
3Liverpool35229477364175
4Aston Villa35207873522167
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs33186967521560
6Manchester UnitedMan Utd34166125251154
7Newcastle UnitedNewcastle341651374551953
8West Ham UnitedWest Ham351310125665-949
9Chelsea33139116359448
10Bournemouth35139135260-848
11Wolverhampton WanderersWolves35137154855-746
12Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton341111125257-544
13Fulham35127165155-443
14Crystal Palace351010154557-1240
15Everton35128153748-1136
16Brentford3598185260-835
17Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest3579194262-2026
18Luton TownLuton3567224877-2925
19Burnley3559213870-3224
RSheffield UnitedSheff Utd3537253497-6316


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!