Mauricio Pochettino has made one change to the team that drew with Bournemouth as Moises Caicedo returns to the starting lineup to face Aston Villa after missing the clash due to injury. The Ecuador star faced an assessment on Saturday having only returned to team training the day before having returned from international duty with a knee issue.
Otherwise, Pochettino appears to have went for the same system he utilised against the Cherries. Robert Sanchez starts in goal ahead of a consistent backline of Malo Gusto, Axel Disasi, Thiago Silva and Levi Colwill. Ben Chilwell once again has to settle for a place on the bench.
Caicedo, of course, comes into Chelsea's midfield, as Lesley Ugochukwu drops to the bench after he started for the first time last week. Conor Gallagher captains the side with Enzo Fernandez finalising the midfield three.
Mykhailo Mudryk retains his place in the forward line after a hot-and-cold outing against Bournemouth and will support Nicolas Jackson and Raheem Sterling once again. Jackson risks a suspension having already picked up four yellow cards this term, but has yet to earn a booking for a foul. Pochettino had a meeting with the player to discuss the situation.
He said in his press conference: "We had a meeting with him and Enzo (Fernandez). I said ‘come on, for a striker to have four yellow cards, to protest…to talk with the referee. You need to get some yellow cards for different actions not because of that. It’s so easy, so cheap. I think he could put the team in a really difficult situation (if it continues). He understood. But Jackson is 22, he is young, he needs to learn, to improve. He is going to be a fantastic player, but he needs time."
Armando Broja is among the substitutes for the first time since injurying his ACL in December as Marc Cucurella also comes back into the squad. Noni Madueke misses out however, while Deivid Washington keeps his place on the bench after scoring his first goal in Chelsea colours in Premier League 2 against Manchester City on Friday
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Chelsea XI: Sanchez; Gusto, Disasi, Silva, Colwill; Caicedo, Gallagher, Fernandez; Sterling, Jackson, Mudryk. Substitutes: Petrovic, Bergstrom, Cucurella, Chilwell, Maatsen, Ugochukwu, Palmer, Washington, Broja.