Aston Villa are back in action this evening, as Villa Park plays host to Chelsea in the fourth-round replay of the FA Cup.
Unai Emery will be hoping that his Aston Villa side can progress into the next round of the FA Cup, as the Villans host Chelsea in the fourth-round replay following last month’s draw in the capital.
In the first meeting, Villa played out a 0-0 stalemate at Stamford Bridge, leading to the arrangement of Wednesday’s fixture under the lights in Birmingham.
The scene is set for Emery’s side to give their fans another thing to celebrate this season, with the manager calling for the squad to be “strong at home” with the supporters to create a special atmosphere for the cup tie.
Aston Villa team news vs Chelsea
As well as gearing up the crowd ahead of the fixture, the Spaniard gave some news on the fitness of his squad, providing insight on the XI we could expect to see fielded against the Blues.
The good news came with Pau Torres being fit to start on the bench, although the boss confirmed that Ezri Konsa, Lucas Digne and Jhon Duran remain unavailable due to injury.
Speaking to the media, Emery had a lot to say on winger Leon Bailey, whom he praised as “fantastic” amid news of his new contract being verbally agreed.
After scoring against Sheffield United in the previous game, it would be unsurprising to see the Jamaican in the starting XI, although the 26-year-old isn’t the only forward that should be utilised against Chelsea.
Youri Tielemans must start for Villa against Chelsea
Like Bailey, Youri Tielemans scored against the Blades on Saturday, netting his first Premier League goal for the Villans following his arrival in the summer of 2023.
Things haven’t been easy for the Belgian since his move from Leicester City to Villa however, recent performances suggest that the 26-year-old is finally finding his feet in the false nine role under Emery.
Previously praised as “outstanding” by John McGinn, Tielemans earned his starting spot against Sheffield in place of Moussa Diaby, a switch in personnel that should be honoured against Chelsea due to his improved form.
After the 5-0 victory on Saturday, one fan took to Twitter to say that it’s “now a must” that the £150k-a-week Belgium international occupies the false nine position, praising his “dangerous” support to the front line in that area.
Following a string of poor results, Mauricio Pochettino’s side look vulnerable in areas that could be exploited by Tielemans, a player who is in strong form for Villa.
