Villa Park plays host to a hugely significant fixture in the race to play in next season’s Champions League.
Chelsea are out to end a three-game winless slide in the Premier League on Wednesday night, and victory at Villa Park will certainly re-embolden their pursuit of a top-five finish. Liam Rosenior is starting to encounter a few stumbling blocks at the helm in west London, and it won’t take much more for an already skeptical fanbase to turn on the relatively inexperienced manager.
Should their malaise persist, Rosenior will soon begin to feel the heat from his own supporters.at a good time, with the Villans struggling in midfield and sliding their way into the scrap to play in next season’s Champions League. They’ve won just one of their previous five league outings, but have prevailed in back-to-back meetings against the west Londoners.Pedro Neto saw red in Sunday’s defeat at Arsenal. | Marc Atkins/Getty Images Pedro Neto was the latest to pick up an idiotic red card in Chelsea colors this season, as he received a second yellow card for a late lunge on Gabriel Martinelli in theHe’ll serve a one-game suspension, with Alejandro Garnacho the most likely candidate to replace the Portuguese international, given that Estêvão is nursing a hamstring injury. Wesley Fofana is eligible to return from his ban, but Mamadou Sarr’s assured showing on Sunday means Rosenior may opt against any changes to his defense. Levi Colwill remains sidelined because of a long-term knee injury, while Marc Cucurella, Dário Essugo and Jamie Gittens are also set to miss the trip to Villa Park. Rosenior said ahead of the Arsenal game that he hopes to have Cucurella “back as quickly as possible,” but Wednesday’s fixture may arrive too soon.Arsenal—Rosenior must carefully manage his captain, who impressed at the Emirates. However, James is more likely to get a rest in the FA Cup fifth round, when—The Englishman has been Chelsea’s standout center back this season, and there’s no reason why he should be dropped from the team on Wednesday.—Fofana’s available again, but Rosenior should stick with Sarr. The former Strasbourg defender looked at ease in his first Premier League start.—Cucurella could be back in the mix soon, but Hato is likely to remain in Chelsea’s defense midweek. The Dutchman has had a tough start to life in west London, but he enters this game off the back of a stout showing up against Bukayo Saka.—Chelsea’s tone-setter in midfield can occasionally go overboard, but Caicedo is obviously a net positive for Rosenior’s side. Villa’s verticality will test the Ecuadorian.—Rosenior is a big fan of Andrey Santos, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Chelsea boss retain this midfield axis on Wednesday night, given Villa’s intent on penetrating the center of the field.—Palmer’s positioning was an intriguing sub-plot of Sunday’s defeat, but the Englishman seemed shackled by the knocks he took in the first half. Still, those minor setbacks are unlikely to keep him out midweek.—The Argentine will be asked to combine between the lines with Palmer, having scored a fabulous goal on this ground in a FA Cup victory two years ago.—Neto’s suspension opens the door for Garnacho to come in, given the injuries sustained to Jamie Gittens and Estêvão in recent weeks. The winger almost restored parity late on for Chelsea at the Emirates with a cross that threatened David Raya’s back post.—It’s night and day between João Pedro and Liam Delap, with the Englishman likely to get a chance in the FA Cup this weekend. The ex-Brighton & Hove Albion sharpshooter has to retain his place at Villa Park.James Cormack is a freelancer soccer writer for Sports Illustrated FC. An expert on Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal, he follows Italian and German soccer, taking particular interest in the work of Antonio Conte & Julian Nagelsmann.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Arsenal vs. Chelsea, Preview, Predictions and LineupsA fourth meeting between the London rivals awaits in Sunday’s primetime slot.
Read more »
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall makes admission about his 'dark times' at ChelseaKiernan Dewsbury-Hall has opened up about his struggles for playing time at Chelsea, which eventually led to his transfer to Everton last summer.
Read more »
James, Cucurella, Gittens, Estevao: Latest Chelsea fitness news & potential injury return dates ahead of ArsenalThe Chelsea team news has been confirmed ahead of their Premier League clash against Arsenal on Sunday afternoon.
Read more »
Unseen Footage Lays Bare Chelsea’s Disciplinary Problem After Arsenal DefeatPedro Neto became the ninth Chelsea player to be sent off this weekend.
Read more »
Angels should match Zach Neto's loyalty and give him a long-term dealAngels shortstop Zach Neto is the team's best player and he should the team should prioritize keeping him for the long term if it has any interest in winning.
Read more »
Inside Pedro Neto's Chelsea apology as Liam Rosenior sends strong selection warning to fix discipline issuesLiam Rosenior has responded to Pedro Neto's Chelsea apologised after the dressing room was addressed following Sunday's defeat to Arsenal.
Read more »