Chelsea welcome Aston Villa to Stamford Bridge on Wednesday for the midweek game in the third-round fixture list of the EFL Cup.
Thomas Tuchel’s men have enjoyed a brilliant run of recent form and remain unbeaten this new season across all competitions as they last turned out against city rivals Tottenham Hotspur in a convincing 3-0 win for the Blues.
The visitors to Stamford Bridge also recorded a significant result last time around with Dean Smith’s Villians, who have often misfired early on in this campaign, posting a 3-0 win over an in-form Everton side in league action over the weekend.
Come Wednesday, Chelsea will look to book their spot further into the competition but will be aware of the dangers that Aston Villa can produce considering the quality of players available to Dean Smith at his disposal.
Tuchel and Co. are strong favourites for the cup clash despite talk of the Chelsea boss fielding a much-changed XI on the show for the midweek game as his star regulars remain in line for some well-earned rest.
WHEN AND WHERE?
Date – 22 September
Time – 6:45 PM GMT
Venue – Stamford Bridge
TEAM NEWS
Christian Pulisic is the sole concern on the injury front for Chelsea ahead of the game against Villa with the American international working his way to full fitness after a spell on the sidelines with injury.
N’Golo Kante returned to on-field action last time around in the win over Spurs and could be in the fray for being handed a starting role against Villa.
PREDICTION
We back the hosts Chelsea to secure the win but be sure to expect an evenly contested affair between two in-form teams.
Chelsea 3-1 Aston Villa
