Chelsea will lock horns with Aston Villa at Villa Park on Sunday evening, hoping to pick up a crucial win away from home. The Blues will be heading into the game on the back of an impressive 2-1 victory over Leicester City, whereas the Villans recorded a similar 2-1 win against Tottenham Hotspur.
Thomas Tuchel will probably opt for the 3-4-3 formation with a few tweaks from the last game as Mateo Kovacic looks likely to make his way back into the starting eleven.
3-4-3 Chelsea Predicted Lineup Vs Aston Villa
Defence
Edouard Mendy will start in between the sticks for the upcoming away encounter. The Senegalese shot-stopper will hope to put up a strong performance and secure a clean sheet on Sunday.
Thiago Silva is expected to start at the heart of Blues’ backline, whereas Antonio Rudiger will continue to feature at the left centre-back spot. Cesar Azpilicueta will fulfil the right centre-back position.
However, their main objective will be to keep Jack Grealish and Ollie Watkins quiet throughout the ninety minutes.
Midfield
N’Golo Kante, who came off early against Leicester City due to a hamstring problem, looks unlikely to feature this weekend.
“N’Golo is not injured. He told me – and I understood him in French – he went out before an injury.” – Thomas Tuchel stated.
“He felt his hamstrings and was worried that he would get injured if he continued to play.”
As a result, Mateo Kovacic and Jorginho might fulfil the holding midfield positions, with the former occupying a more central role. The pair would be looking to dominate the midfield proceedings.
Ben Chilwell might start at the left wing-back position, whereas Reece James will fill in on the other flank as the right wing-back.
Attack
Tuchel confirmed that Kai Havertz is in a race against time to regain fitness ahead of the weekend clash.
“Kai, unfortunately, got injured a little bit at Wembley. He felt his hamstring slightly.” – The German coach revealed.
“Hopefully, we will have him back in the squad for Aston Villa on Sunday, but we are not sure yet.”
Mason Mount and Hakim Ziyech will slot into the attacking midfield roles. The duo would be determined to set up some clear cut goal-scoring chances for the front-men.
Timo Werner will lead the line for the Blues against Aston Villa. The German international would be hoping to find the back of the net when he faces off against the Villa defence that has kept just one clean sheet in their last five league games.
Christian Pulisic might come on to make a cameo appearance in the second forty-five minutes.
