Teetering on the edge of yet another on-field crisis, Chelsea bid to right some Premier League wrongs in the FA Cup, where Aston Villa lie in wait for Wednesday's fourth-round replay.
The teams reconvene at Villa Park after shaking hands on a goalless draw in West London, and a home meeting with either Leeds United or Plymouth Argyle is in store for the midweek victor.
Match preview
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Chelsea had rebuilt the walls of their besieged Stamford Bridge fortress before Aston Villa arrived for their knockout showdown on January 26, but while the Blues enjoyed plentiful possession at their West London home, neither side did enough to punch a direct ticket to round five.
The drab draw in the capital marked the second of three winless matches for Unai Emery's Aston Villa crop, who had ever-so slightly slipped out of the Premier League title conversation before the weekend's contest with Sheffield United, having only amassed one point from meetings with Everton and Newcastle United.
However, the Lions enhanced their Champions League credentials with a resounding 5-0 success in front of a dejected Bramall Lane faithful, who witnessed Emery's merciless charges bank four goals in the opening half-hour before Alex Moreno's sweetly-struck volley completed a five-star performance.
With Emery's former side Arsenal helping out their erstwhile coach by sinking Liverpool a day later, fourth-placed Villa still have just a five-point gap to make up to the league leaders, but their serial Europa League-winning manager must now channel his penchant for cup triumphs once more.
Just by beating Middlesbrough in their opening FA Cup contest, Aston Villa have achieved their best result in the tournament since 2015-16 - they suffered seven successive third-round exits before 2023-24 rolled around - but not since reaching the 2014-15 final have the Lions progressed further than round four.
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On that fateful day at Wembley, Aston Villa succumbed to Arsenal's FA Cup superiority in a 4-0 loss to the 14-time winners, and a beleaguered Chelsea also arrive at Villa Park having conceded a quartet of goals in the English capital, albeit only a few days ago rather than nine years ago.
Not since the 1974-75 campaign had Wolverhampton Wanderers achieved a league double over the Blues, but Gary O'Neil's clinical charges snapped that 49-year streak on Sunday, as Matheus Cunha's heroic hat-trick and an Axel Disasi own goal rendered Cole Palmer and Thiago Silva's efforts inconsequential.
Having witnessed his side lose their uplifting winning home run in such catastrophic circumstances, Mauricio Pochettino faced the music and conceded that his job in West London is far from safe, as the 11th-placed Blues - who have now shipped four goals in back-to-back Premier League games - continue to languish in the unwelcome familiarity of mid-table.
A torrid time on the road has also seen Chelsea suffer defeat in six of their last seven matches away from their Stamford Bridge base, but while the form book does not favour the Blues, the historical records do; Wednesday's visitors have prevailed in eight of their last nine FA Cup replays.
The Blues also emerged triumphant at Villa Park in both the 2021-22 and 2022-23 Premier League campaigns, but they have since gone without a goal in three meetings with the Lions and are at risk of failing to score in four successive matches against Aston Villa for the very first time, which would represent yet another major blot on Pochettino's notebook.
Team News
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After eliminating Middlesbrough from the FA Cup in the third round, Villa added insult to injury for their Championship counterparts by prising Morgan Rogers away from the Riverside Stadium, but the winger - who came off the bench at Bramall Lane - is cup-tied for this one.
Emery also has a plethora of fitness concerns to work around for Wednesday's rematch, as none of Emi Buendia (knee), Tyrone Mings (knee) or Jhon Duran (hamstring) will be returning for months yet, while Ezri Konsa picked up a knee injury against Sheffield United and has been ruled out for three to four weeks.
Lucas Digne (thigh) remains out of contention too, but on a slightly positive note, Emery has confirmed that Pau Torres will be back on the bench after an ankle injury.
Bertrand Traore has also departed for Villarreal on a free transfer after having his contract ripped up, and on the back of an emphatic victory at Bramall Lane, Emery should see no need to alter the pack unless tired legs force his hand; Moussa Diaby and Matty Cash will be the beneficiaries of that scenario.
Chelsea's infirmary is also brimming at this juncture, as Lesley Ugochukwu (hamstring), Wesley Fofana (knee), Robert Sanchez (knee), Reece James (thigh), Marc Cucurella (ankle) and Romeo Lavia (quadriceps) are still undertaking their individual rehabilitation programmes.
Levi Colwill (tendon) is also not in with a chance of making his return in the West Midlands, while Trevoh Chalobah (thigh) is back in team training but will be given time to rebuild his match fitness, having not made a single appearance all season long.
In the wake of a calamitous performance in the Premier League, Pochettino will surely consider changes in abundance as Carney Chukwuemeka, Benoit Badiashile, Mykhaylo Mudryk and Nicolas Jackson - back from the Africa Cup of Nations - fight for their right to start.
Aston Villa possible starting lineup:
Martinez; Cash, Carlos, Lenglet, Moreno; McGinn, Kamara, Luiz, Bailey; Diaby, Watkins
Chelsea possible starting lineup:
Petrovic; Gusto, Disasi, Badiashile, Chilwell; Chukwuemeka, Fernandez; Palmer, Nkunku, Mudryk; Jackson
We say: Aston Villa 3-1 Chelsea
Remarkably, all of Aston Villa's last five home games in the FA Cup have ended in defeat, but faced with a permeable Chelsea side who are often easy pickings on the road, that curse should be lifted here.
While we do have faith in Chelsea to avoid their unwanted scoreless record against the Lions, they are at risk of being overwhelmed by Emery's red-hot attackers, who ought to propel their side into the fifth round while piling even more pressure on the under-fire Pochettino.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Ben Knapton
