Chelsea XI vs Aston Villa: Confirmed team news and predicted lineup – Evening Standard
Sport | Football
Chelsea have Cole Palmer back from illness but that is the end of the positive team news as they travel to take on Aston Villa tonight.
Malo Gusto, along with Palmer, sat out the 5-0 defeat to Arsenal and will again be missing this weekend, and is joined by Raheem Sterling and Carney Chukwuemeka as Mauricio Pochettino’s injury crisis deepens. There are now 12 first-team players unavailable.
Sterling is out with a back problem, Chukwuemeka’s knee issues have resurfaced, and Gusto is still not fit after injuring himself in the defeat to Manchester City at Wembley Stadium. However, Palmer’s return is a boost as the 20-goal Premier League Golden Boot-chaser returns after missing the defeat to Arsenal.
Enzo Fernandez has also been ruled out for the season after opting to have groin surgery. Reece James and Levi Colwill have joined Christopher Nkunku by stepping up their recovery to join in partial team training sessions but are unavailable to play at Villa Park.
Lesley Ugochukwu, Ben Chilwell, Romeo Lavia, Robert Sanchez, and Wesley Fofana are also injured.
Pochettino is at a huge disadvantage facing Unai Emery’s Champions League-chasing side and will have few options from which to pick.
Djordje Petrovic will continue as goalkeeper in front of a back four of Axel Disasi, Thiago Silva, Trevoh Chalobah and Marc Cucurella. Benoit Badiashile could be dropped after another poor display in the London derby.
Moises Caicedo and Conor Gallagher are the only two fit central midfielders and will play at the heart of Chelsea’s team. A front four of Palmer, Mykhailo Mudryk, Noni Madueke and Nicolas Jackson will play in attack.
The bench will be made up almost entirely of academy stars, with rivals Tottenham up next in the Premier League.
Predicted Chelsea XI: Petrovic; Disasi, Chalobah, Thiago Silva, Cucurella; Caicedo, Gallagher; Madueke, Palmer, Mudryk; Jackson
Injuries: Colwill, James, Nkunku, Sanchez, Ugochukwu, Fernandez, Chukwuemeka, Sterling, Chilwell, Gusto, Fofana, Lavia
Time and date: 8pm BST on on Saturday, April 27, 2024
Venue: Villa Park, Birmingham
TV channel and live stream: TNT Sports
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