- The Aston Villa vs Chelsea game kicks off on Wednesday at 11PM.
- The first leg ended in a 0-0 forcing a replay.
- The winner of the tie will play Leeds in the fifth round.
Struggling European giants Chelsea is set to welcome Aston Villa in a do-or-die Emirates FA Cup fourth-round replay at Villa Park on Wednesday, February 7.
The two Premier League sides played to a goalless draw in the first meeting which was staged at the Stamford Bridge on Thursday, January 30 thus forcing the replay.
Chelsea goes into the match on the back of consecutive painful defeats in the hands of rivals Liverpool and a high-flying Wolves side.
The Blues were hammered 4-1 at Anfield by Jurgen Klopp’s boys before being mercilessly demolished 4-2 at home by the Wanderers, results that made most Chelsea fans to start calling for the sacking of head coach Mauricio Pochettino.
As a result, an FA Cup exit on Wednesday will increase pressure on the Argentine international who came out a few days ago and disclosed that he has the backing of the Chelsea board.
On the other hand, Aston Villa won their two matches after the Chelsea draw in compelling fashions, beating Newcastle United 3-1 before thrashing Sheffield United 5-0 to increase their chances of booking a slot in next season’s UEFA Champions League Tournament.
A win for Villa today will move them a step closer to winning their first major title under the management of ex-Arsenal manager Unai Emery.
Here are some essential details you need to know ahead of the crunch match.
What time does Aston Villa vs Chelsea start?
The game is expected to kick off at 11 PM Tanzanian time at Villa Park.
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Aston Villa vs Chelsea Team News
The visitors will miss the services of Reece James, Marc Cucurella, Romeo Lavia and Wesley Fofana, who are all on the treatment table. Number one goalkeeper Robert Sanchez and Lesley Ugochukwu are also currently sidelined due to injuries.
Sanchez’ absence means Serbian international Djordje Petrovic will start in goal in one of the biggest matches of his career. In addition, it is not crystal clear whether Pochettino will give Trevoh Chalobah and Levi Colwill a nod to start at Villa Park since the duo are not fully fit.
Meanwhile, Aston Villa have a couple of injured players including Emi Buendia, Lucas Digne, Pau Torres and Tyrone Mings who are expected not to play a role in Wednesday’s match.
However, Emery’s squad may be strengthened by the return of Nicolo Zaniolo who was not involved in the huge win against Sheffield United.
Possible Starting Lineups
Aston Villa: Martinez, Moreno, Lenglet, Carlos, Cash, Kamara, Bailey, McGinn, Luiz, Diaby, Watkins.
Chelsea: Petrovic, Chilwell, Disasi, Badiashile, Gusto, Caicedo, Fernandez, Palmer, Sterling, Nkunku, Jackson
Aston Villa vs Chelsea Head-to-head
Chelsea and Aston Villa have met 17 times since 2013 in all competitions including the FA Cup with the Blues registering 8 victories. Four of those encounters ended in a draw.
However, in their recent five meetings, Villa have come out on top registering threw victories.
Aston Villa: 5
Draws: 4
Chelsea: 8
Aston Villa vs Chelsea Current Form
Aston Villa: WDDWW
Chelsea: WWDLL
Aston Villa vs Chelsea Prediction
English forward Ollie Watkins is enjoying an excellent form at the moment hence he is likely to cause problems for Chelsea and might even score a goal.
Moreover, the hosts have dominated other clubs at Villa Park since Emery took over the managerial job and they are expected to put up a good display on Wednesday.
Finally, a victory for Chelsea should not be completely ruled out since they do not have any room for making any error.