The Premier League season has officially resumed, but Frank Lampard’s Chelsea side aren’t back in action until they travel to Villa Park to take on Dean Smith’s Aston Villa Team on Sunday evening. The Villans are coming into this fixture on the back of a disappointing goalless draw against Sheffield United in the first game back from the suspension of the league. They were perhaps fortunate not to face defeat, as an obvious Sheffield goal was disallowed by the referee. Replays showed that the ball was, in fact, well over Nyland’s goal line.
Chelsea, on the other hand, played their last competitive match back in March, when they put Everton to the sword in a smashing 4-0 victory. With the squad now back to full fitness, Lampard will undoubtedly have a lot more options to choose from.
With rivals Manchester United just inches behind them in fifth place, nothing short of a victory will be an acceptable result for the west London club. A lot is riding on the remaining fixtures this season for Chelsea, and winning at Villa Park will be the first step towards securing a place in the Champions League next season.
Team News
Frank Lampard will be going into this fixture with almost a full-strength squad, with the only injury doubts coming in the form of young Callum Hudson-Odoi and Reece James. While the Blues possess multiple alternatives for the former’s role, James’ absence will come as a blow, in that Lampard will be forced to start one of the two out-of-favour left-backs – Marcos Alonso or Emerson Palmieri. Elsewhere, Andreas Christensen has suffered a broken finger, but has been given the clearance to play. Jorginho picked up his tenth booking before lockdown, meaning that he remains suspended for this fixture.
Here Is The Predicted 4-3-3 Chelsea Lineup Vs Aston Villa:
Predicted 4-3-3 Chelsea Lineup Vs Aston Villa
Formation: 4-3-3
Defence
Kepa Arrizabalaga was eased into the first-team before the campaign was halted, and he managed to put in good performances against both Liverpool and Everton. The Spaniard is likely to keep his place between the sticks going into this fixture. In front of him is where Lampard is sure to have an alarming selection dilemma. None of the Blues’ four centre-half options have been anywhere close to secure, but Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen is the duo that should be given the nod. With James likely to miss this fixture, Cesar Azpilicueta and Marcos Alonso should take up the full-back roles.
Midfield
Probably the one position where Chelsea are spoilt for choice, Lampard will have some important decisions to make before this match on Saturday. Billy Gilmour was a sensation in the two games prior to lockdown, meaning that he’s likely to start again this time. Alongside him, Mateo Kovacic is effectively assured to be a part of the midfield trio, with the question marks only arising when it comes to the third slot. Ross Barkley, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and N’Golo Kante are all options, but given how the match against Everton had gone, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Liverpudlian starting this tie.
Attack
There have been multiple question marks raised regarding the immediate futures of Willian and Pedro, but Lampard will surely need at least one of their services during this tie. Although playing Mason Mount on the flank is going to be an option, Lampard is expected to prefer using Willian for this match. With the Brazilian on the right, Christian Pulisic could make his long-awaited return to the first-team at Villa Park. Tammy Abraham has been the Blues’ main source of goals this season, and bringing the Englishman back into the side for this game doesn’t seem too far-fetched either.
