Aston Villa and Chelsea could not have more contrasting form heading into Wednesday night’s FA Cup Fourth Round Replay at Villa Park. The home side bounced back from a surprise home defeat to Newcastle by thrashing Sheffield United 5-0 on the road at the weekend, with five different players on the scoresheet and all goals scored by the 47th minute mark of the game. It was a much-needed return to form for the Villains after a lackluster run of results in the league, all of which stemmed from their 3-2 loss at Manchester United on Boxing Day. It was also a welcome return to goalscoring form for the team as they had recorded just two goals in their previous four games, with two 0-0 draws in amongst their previous four matches ahead of the thrashing of the Blades at the weekend.
In sharp contrast, Chelsea come into this game on the back of two poor performances and heavy defeats in the Premier League. The Carabao Cup Finalists were held by Villa after their big 6-1 win over Middlesbrough in the semi-final 2nd leg of that competition but have since lost 4-1 to Liverpool (who they will play in the Carabao Cup Final) and then a 4-2 defeat at home to Wolves followed at the weekend. With the cups offering Chelsea their only realistic chance of a successful season, the pressure is on Mauricio Pochettino and his expensively assembled squad to stay in this competition and I think that is going to lead to an open game as I cannot see Chelsea being able to keep Villa out, and similarly, Villa have looked susceptible to conceding goals on the counter attack this season. The winner of this tie will have a home tie in the fifth round to look forward to, against the winner of the Leeds United v Plymouth Argyle replay on Tuesday night.
How to watch Aston Villa vs Chelsea on TV and live stream
| Country | TV channel/live stream |
|---|---|
| United Kingdom | ITV1, ITVX, STV Scotland, STV Player, UTV |
| United States | ESPN+ |
| Canada | Sportsnet World Now, Sportsnet East, Sportsnet Now, Sportsnet Ontario, Sportsnet Pacific, Sportsnet West, Sportsnet World, Sportsnet Now Plus |
Aston Villa team news
Unai Emery has several injury concerns ahead of Chelsea’s visit, including long-term absentees Emi Buendia and Tyrone Mings. Jhon Duran, who was linked with a move to the Blues in January, is also sidelined after picking up an injury against Everton last month.
There are also issues for Villa at centre-back, with Pau Torres a doubt for Chelsea after missing the entirety of January and Ezri Konsa also unlikely to feature after coming off with a knee injury against Sheffield United last time out.
Nicolo Zaniolo could return after missing the match at Bramall Lane on Saturday, while Lucas Digne is nearing a return having picked up an injury in December.
Aston Villa predicted lineup vs Chelsea
Aston Villa predicted lineup (4-4-2): Martinez; Cash, Lenglet, Carlos, Moreno; Bailey, Kamara, Luiz, McGinn; Diaby, Watkins.
Chelsea team news
Chelsea are still without a host of key players as their injury list continues to wreak havoc on Pochettino’s plans. Captain Reece James is sidelined, as are Wesley Fofana, Marc Cucurella, Lesley Ugochukwu and Romeo Lavia.
Djordje Petrovic will continue to stand in for the absent Robert Sanchez, while Levi Colwill is getting closer to a first-team return but is unlikely to feature against Villa midweek.
Trevoh Chalobah is also nearing a return to action having not played a single minute this season, but will need to be slowly re-introduced into the first team after such a long layoff.
Chelsea predicted lineup vs Aston Villa
Chelsea predicted lineup (4-2-3-1): Petrovic; Gusto, Disasi, Badiashile, Chilwell; Caicedo, Fernandez; Palmer, Nkunku, Sterling; Jackson.
Aston Villa vs Chelsea score prediction
Both teams should field strong lineups on Wednesday evening, as they did at Stamford Bridge in the first match. In that scenario, there is likely only one winner given Aston Villa’s impressive home record and Chelsea’s woeful form.
If Villa can produce the levels they have for much of the season, they should be able to book their spot in the fifth round. With Ollie Watkins back in form and Chelsea’s defence leaking goals, the Blues will not be looking forward to their trip to the Midlands midweek.
