Chelsea predicted line-up vs. Aston Villa with three big changes amid £141m duo return

Chelsea will be aiming to get their ailing season back on track when they play host to Aston Villa on Sunday afternoon. Mauricio Pochettino’s men have taken just five points from their quintet of opening matches this term, and their only victory remains a 3-0 win over newly-promoted Luton Town.

The Blues’ most recent outing came against Bournemouth last Sunday, with the two teams playing out a tetchy 0-0 stalemate on the south coast.

By contrast, Aston Villa have won three of their first five outings, and are sitting pretty in seventh having taken nine points from a possible 15. Unai Emery’s side left it late to see off Crystal Palace last time out, equalising in the 87th minute before relying on a pair of strikes deep into stoppage time to wrap up a 3-1 win.

Chelsea Team News

It’s been a rough start to the campaign for Chelsea as far as injuries are concerned, with a number of summer signings and influential presences missing out on regular game time. Looking ahead to Sunday’s clash at Stamford Bridge, Pochettino should be able to welcome Noni Madueke and Marc Cucurella back into the fold after the duo recovered from a muscular complaint and illness respectively to train fully at Cobham.

Meanwhile, British record signing Moises Caicedo will be assessed ahead of the weekend, with uncertainty surrounding his condition following a thigh injury sustained on international duty with Ecuador. The midfielder has trained since then, but was rested against Bournemouth, and was absent from first team training earlier in the week. The expectation is that he will be fit, but some doubts remain.

Elsewhere, Carney Chukwuemeka is still sidelined with a knee issue that could rule him out for the next few weeks, while Romeo Lavia’s ankle complaint is expected to keep him out of action until October. Reece James will also be absent until later next month.

There is better news regarding Armando Broja, Benoit Badiashile, and Trevor Chalobah, who could all be in contention this weekend - although starting roles for any of that trio feel improbable.

Looking further ahead, Christopher Nkunku and Wesley Fofana will both be sidelined until the new year.

Full Chelsea Predicted XI

Robert Sanchez; Malo Gusto, Axel Disasi, Thiago Silva, Ben Chilwell; Enzo Fernandez, Moises Caicedo, Conor Gallagher; Raheem Sterling, Nicolas Jackson, Noni Madueke.

Aston Villa Team News

For their part, Villa are dealing with a couple of long-term absentees of their own; Tyrone Mings and Emi Buendia are both currently sidelined with serious knee injuries, and will remain so for the foreseeable future. Elsewhere, young midfielder Tim Iroegbunam is out of action, while Jacob Ramsey is still a week or two away from a return after suffering a broken metatarsal.

Villa’s only other injury doubt is Diego Carlos. The Brazilian defender picked up a hamstring complaint against Liverpool at the start of the month, and has been under assessment ever since.

Full Aston Villa Predicted XI

Emiliano Martinez; Matty Cash, Ezri Konsa, Pau Torres, Lucas Digne; Boubacar Kamara, Douglas Luiz; John McGinn, Moussa Diaby, Nicolo Zaniolo; Ollie Watkins.