Chelsea are desperate for a win as they return to Stamford Bridge in the Premier League this afternoon. It’s been a tough start to the new Mauricio Pochettino era in west London, with poor results played out against the backdrop of another ongoing injury crisis. The goal-shy Blues sit 14th with just one win from their opening five games after following a shock home defeat by Nottingham Forest with a bore draw at Bournemouth last time out.
And they could find the going tough again today against a Villa team that tend to score plenty, occupying seventh spot in the early top-flight table after three wins including a stunning late show to see off Crystal Palace last weekend. Unai Emery’s side will be hurting after dropping their Europa Conference League opener in Warsaw on Thursday, going down 3-2 after making five changes that are all reversed here.
Villa won 2-0 on this ground back in April and will be targeting successive league triumphs over today’s opponents for the first time in 30 years, though Pochettino is boosted by the returns of Moises Caicedo and Armando Broja. Follow Chelsea vs Aston Villa live with our blog below, featuring analysis from Dom Smith at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea vs Aston Villa latest updates
GOAL! Watkins fires home first in the league
RED CARD! Gusto sent off for challenge on Digne
GOOA… NO! Disasi header ruled out
Chelsea team news: Caicedo returns; Broja on bench
That’s back-to-back away league wins at Stamford Bridge for Villa, with Watkins off the mark and Emery’s side up above West Ham now and into sixth spot.
