Chelsea and Aston Villa will both be looking to build on recent momentum when they clash this weekend.
The sides are next to one another in the table in 10th and 11th, with Chelsea’s “superior” goal difference of 1 putting them ahead of the Villains. Both sides remain in with a good shout of getting European football for next season, although Villa would be far the happier side to have the Europa League/Conference League anthem ringing in their ears.
What is more important for both clubs is continuing the recent upturns in form enjoyed, with Graham Potter needing as many results as he can while trying to mesh his motley crew squad together. Unai Emery has proved an instant upgrade on Steven Gerrard and will want to finish the campaign strongly ahead of his first summer transfer window at Villa Park.
Let’s take a look at all the important details ahead of their match.
When is Chelsea vs Aston Villa?
The game is the 5:30pm (UK time) kick off on Saturday 1st April. Will it be Potter or Emery who is made look the fool by nights fall?
Where will Chelsea vs Aston Villa be played?
The game takes place at Stamford Bridge, where Villa last won on New Year’s Eve 2011.
What TV Channel is Chelsea vs Aston Villa on?
The match is live on both Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League for UK viewers, with coverage starting at 5pm (UK time).
Main Event is Sky channel 401 and Virgin channel 501 while Premier League is 402 and 502.
How can you live stream Chelsea vs Aston Villa?
As the game is on Sky, it can also be viewed on Sky Go on mobile/laptop/tablet.
Chelsea vs Aston Villa history
There is no discernible rivalry between the clubs, which isn’t overly surprising given their geographical locations – London and Birmingham/midlands are home to so many clubs that local rivalries take up enough of fans’ time.
The clubs also haven’t competed with one another for major trophies with their periods of success coming at different points – Villa won the European Cup in 1982 while Chelsea were languishing in the bottom half of the old division two, while Chelsea’s best era of success has come in the last 20 years in a same time span that has seen Villa relegated.
The year 2000 was memorable for many reasons, one being the last-ever FA Cup final at the old Wembley Stadium. It saw Chelsea who defeated Villa 1-0 and claim a second FA Cup trophy in four seasons, the goal coming from Roberto Di Matteo, who coincidentally, and rather ideally for this article, later managed both clubs.
Away from that, the major links between the two clubs come in the shape of players, many of whom have donned the blue of Chelsea and the claret and blue of Aston Villa, none more famous than Blues icon John Terry, who spent a season at Villa Park in the Championship following his departure from Stamford Bridge in 2017. The ex-Chelsea skipper would then assist Dean Smith, helping the club to climb back into the Premier League.
Tammy Abraham was a major reason for that promotion, banging in goals for Villa while on loan from Chelsea in the 2018-19 season. He has since, of course, moved to Roma.
Other players to play for both clubs include the likes of Andy Townsend, Ross Barkley, Carlton Cole, Steve Sidwell, Ryan Bertrand and Danny Drinkwater. Squad goals?
Of the current 700 players on Chelsea’s books, Carney Chukwuemeka is the one former Villa player, having moved from Villa Park to Stamford Bridge last summer.
Head-to-Head Record
The clubs have met on 161 occasions, with Chelsea having the upper hand in the rivalry with 68 wins to Villa’s 58. There has also been 35 draws between the clubs, via 11v11.
Last five meetings in all competitions
- 16th October 2022: Aston Villa 0-2 Chelsea – Premier League
- 26th December 2021: Aston Villa 1-3 Chelsea – Premier League
- 22nd September 2021: Chelsea 1-1 Aston Villa (Chelsea win 4-3 on pens) – League Cup
- 11th September 2021: Chelsea 3-0 Aston Villa – Premier League
- 23rd May 2021: Aston Villa 2-1 Chelsea – Premier League
Form Guide – last five Premier League games
Chelsea – D-W-W-L-L: The pressure on Graham Potter somewhat alleviated prior to the international break with progression into the Champions League quarter-finals as well as league wins against Leeds (1-0) and Leicester (3-1). This followed very poor performances in losses to Spurs (2-0) and Southampton (1-0). Their final result before the two-week break was a 2-2 home draw with Everton, a late equaliser for the Toffees that there is still much to work on at the Bridge.
Aston Villa – W-W-D-W-L: Villa’s upturn in form under Unai Emery can be seen in their last five games, with wins against Bournemouth (3-0), Crystal Palace (1-0) and Everton (2-0), a draw at West Ham (1-1) and one loss coming against Arsenal (2-4), that saw the Gunners score two late goals.
Chelsea vs Aston Villa Team News
Chelsea will hope to have the likes of Mason Mount, Raheem Sterling, Reece James, Wesley Fofana and Kai Havertz fit for Saturday's game, with all them battling niggles and knocks over the international break.
N'Golo Kante should also continue his return from a long-term hamstring injury, having been on the bench for the 2-2 draw with Everton two weeks ago.
With so many players to pick from, it's difficult for anyone to pick Chelsea's best XI, including Graham Potter.
Unai Emery will be hoping for all of Matty Cash, Phillippe Coutinho, Leander Dendoncker and Boubacar Kamara to be fit for the trip to Stamford Bridge, with all of them rated 50:50 heading into the weekend.
via Premier Injuries
Predicted Lineups
Chelsea Predicted Starting XI: Kepa; James, Koulibaily, Fofana, Cucurella, Chilwell; Kovacic, Fernandez; Felix, Pulisic, Havertz
Aston Villa Predicted Starting XI: Martinez; Chambers, Konsa, Mings, Moreno; Luiz, McGinn, Ramsey; Bailey, Buendia, Watkins
Match prediction
Chelsea 2-1 Aston Villa: In what should be an entertaining game, Chelsea might just have a little bit too much quality for Villa although they are an extremely difficult side to make predictions on.