Aston Villa v Chelsea preview
Unai Emery says Aston Villa are “trying every day to recover our good form and confidence” as the Villans prepare for a “tough” match with fellow European qualification contenders Chelsea at Villa Park on Wednesday.
Villa were eight points clear of fourth place – the position they now occupy – after their 2-0 win at Newcastle on January 25 but have one win in six domestic matches following their 2-0 defeat at bottom club Wolves on Friday, when tensions between some of Emery’s players and the visiting fans appeared to be evident after full time.
“It’s a fantastic test,” said the Spaniard. “Playing at home with our supporters, I think, is better. We have to transmit our energy to them and our desire, our attitude, our skill, and try to connect with them, [which starts] from our side.
“When we are not scoring goals, it’s not only the responsibility of the strikers – it’s for the team [and it’s] my responsibility.
“[It’s about] how I can improve things to [inspire] the strikers or wingers with the possibilities to score.”
Ollie at the double, in the reverse fixture 🤜🤜 pic.twitter.com/PKh1uJ6kev
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) March 3, 2026
Villa are six points above sixth-placed Chelsea, who have taken two points from their last four league matches and lost 2-1 at Arsenal on Sunday.
“The reason they score great goals is because they have great attacking players,” visiting head coach Liam Rosenior said of Villa’s propensity to strike from distance.
“We show clips to our players; our players know the strengths and weaknesses of each individual they’re up against.
“[Villa] are very clinical in terms of the [expected goals] they create and the value of the goals they score. They’re going to have a reaction from their last result.”
Aston Villa v Chelsea team news
Defender Andres Garcia (hamstring) and midfielders John McGinn and Boubacar Kamara (both knee) and Youri Tielemans (ankle) are out for Villa, as is winger Harvey Elliott.
“We need other leaders,” said Emery, calling captain McGinn “very important”. “He’s progressively getting better but we have enough players to keep our consistency, get our performance [level high] and feel comfortable.
“Even when we are not achieving [that], I continue believing in them.”
Chelsea full-back Marc Cucurella could return and Rosenior said midfielder Romeo Lavia is “close to starting”, with both players recovering from hamstring injuries.
Centre-back Wesley Fofana is available following suspension but wideman Pedro Neto is banned after receiving two yellow cards at the Emirates Stadium.
“Pedro’s apologised to the group,” said Rosenior. “I just need to see an improvement in the behaviour now.
“It’s not just Pedro. People talk about dissent and we’ve had needless bookings in terms of fouls.
“If we are to improve and get to where we want to be, we have to make a conscious step to make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
Willian Estevao has returned to training following a hamstring issue and fellow winger Jamie Gittens is “progressing well with his rehab” from the same problem.
Playmaker Cole Palmer was substituted with a knock against Arsenal but is fit. Centre-back Levi Colwill is recovering from a serious knee injury.
Aston Villa v Chelsea predicted line-ups
Aston Villa starting XI: Emiliano Martinez; Matty Cash, Ezri Konsa, Pau Torres, Lucas Digne; Amadou Onana, Douglas Luiz; Jadon Sancho, Morgan Rogers, Emiliano Buendia; Ollie Watkins
Chelsea starting XI: Robert Sanchez; Reece James, Trevoh Chalobah, Wesley Fofana, Jorrel Hato; Moises Caicedo, Romeo Lavia; Alejandro Garnacho, Enzo Fernandez, Cole Palmer; Joao Pedro
Where to watch Villa v Chelsea: TV channel, online live stream
Kick-off on Wednesday is at 19:30 (14:30 ET / 11:30 PT). Live TV coverage in the UK is on TNT Sports 3 and the Discovery Plus app.
TNT Sports costs £29.99 a month through Discovery Plus, which includes Eurosport and entertainment and is available on a vast range of devices including smart TVs and gaming consoles.
Aston Villa v Chelsea stats
- Following their 2-1 victory at Stamford Bridge earlier this season, Villa are looking to complete a league double over Chelsea for the first time since the 1989/90 campaign
- Having won their last two Premier League matches against Chelsea, Villa are looking for three league wins in a row against the Blues for the first time since a run of four between 1978 and 1984
- Villa have prevailed in one of their last four Premier League home games (D1 L2), having won eight in succession beforehand
- The Villans have scored two goals from 76 shots (2.6% conversion rate) and 6.0 expected goals in their last four at Villa Park
- Emery’s side have won two of their last eight Premier League games (D3 L3), netting five goals along the way (0.6 per game). They had won 13 of their previous 15 before this (L2), averaging 2.1 goals per game
- Ollie Watkins has four goals in his last six Premier League games against Chelsea, all of which have come at Stamford Bridge. The striker netted both goals in their 2-1 win in the reverse fixture in December, with Anwar El-Ghazi the last Villa player to score home and away against the Blues in a league season (2020/21)
- Tammy Abraham, who scored 21 goals in 58 Premier League appearances for Chelsea, is looking to score in back-to-back home games in the competition for the first time since December 2019 when he was a Blues player – the second game of which was against Villa
- With an average of 16.5 shots per 90 minutes when losing in the Premier League this season, Villa have produced almost double the amount they average in a winning-game state this term (8.8)
- Chelsea are winless in their last two Premier League visits to Villa Park (D1 L1), having won five of their previous six there
- The Blues haven’t lost consecutive away league games at Villa since 2002/03 and 2003/04, under Claudio Ranieri
- Eight of their last 10 midweek (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday) away games in the Premier League have ended in defeat (W2)
- That run includes both such games in 2025/26 so far, losing 3-1 at Leeds in December and 2-1 at Fulham in January
- Joao Pedro has been directly involved in five goals in five Premier League appearances against Aston Villa (2 goals, 3 assists) – against no side has the striker been involved in more in the competition
