Gameweek 29 of the 2025/26 Premier League season will continue on Wednesday, with five matches greeting fans on the day. The action on the day will start with four simultaneous games, including Aston Villa vs Chelsea at Villa Park.
Aston Villa once seemed like the dark horse in the Premier League title race, giving Arsenal and Manchester City a run for their money. However, the title challenge has crumbled in recent weeks amid faltering performances by Unai Emery’s charges. The Villans have dropped to fourth in the Premier League standings, and they may have dropped to fifth before the game against Chelsea kicks off.
The latest setback was a 2-0 defeat to Wolverhampton Wanderers last week, and the challenge gets more daunting in the midweek Premier League round of fixtures. On the other hand, Chelsea suffered a Premier League defeat for the first time since Liam Rosenior took over as the new head coach.
While the West London club did not go down without a fight, the 2-1 defeat to Arsenal was the third loss to the Gunners in quick succession for Rosenior’s charges. The result also stretched Chelsea’s winless run to three games, and they have fallen behind in the top-four/top-five race after the latest slip-up.
The reverse fixture saw Aston Villa come from a goal down to beat Chelsea 2-1, with Olle Watkins scoring a match-winning brace. The Hard Tackle looks closer at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Unai Emery has no new injury concerns hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture. The Aston Villa head coach will be bereft of the services of five first-team players vs Chelsea on Wednesday.
John McGinn is closing in on returning from a knee injury. However, Wednesday’s game against Chelsea may have come too soon for the Aston Villa skipper. Meanwhile, Andres Garcia (thigh), Youri Tielemans (ankle), Boubacar Kamara (knee), and Harvey Elliott (unspecified) remain in the treatment room.
Emiliano Martinez is an automatic pick between the sticks, with Aston Villa lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him vs Chelsea on Wednesday. The backline will feature Matty Cash, Ezri Konsa, Pau Torres, and Ian Maatsen.
As for the midfield unit, there is no looking past Douglas Luiz and Amadou Onana in the double pivot. Morgan Rogers will reprise the no. 10 role, with Emiliano Buendia and Jadon Sancho being the two wide attackers. Finally, Tammy Abraham will lead the line for Aston Villa against Chelsea, with Ollie Watkins being a backup option on the bench.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Torres, Maatsen; Luiz, Onana; Buendia, Rogers, Sancho; Abraham
Unlike his counterpart in the Aston Villa dugout, Liam Rosenior has received a mixed bag of updates on the team news front ahead of his side’s latest fixture. The Chelsea head coach will be without seven first-team players on Wednesday.
Pedro Neto is the latest absentee after being sent off in the Premier League clash with Arsenal this past weekend. However, Wesley Fofana is available after serving a suspension in that game. Meanwhile, Levi Colwill (knee), Marc Cucurella (thigh), Dario Essugo (match fitness), Jamie Gittens (hamstring), and Estevao Willian (thigh) remain in the treatment room. Additionally, Mykhailo Mudryk is unavailable after failing a doping test several months ago.
Robert Sanchez is an automatic pick between the sticks, with Chelsea lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him vs Aston Villa on Wednesday. The backline will feature Reece James, Trevoh Chalobah, Wesley Fofana, and Jorrel Hato.
As for the midfield unit, there is no looking past Andrey Santos and Moises Caicedo in the double pivot, with Enzo Fernandez reprising the no. 10 role. Finally, Joao Pedro will spearhead the Chelsea attack against Aston Villa, with Alejandro Garnacho and Cole Palmer completing the numbers in the offensive unit.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Sanchez; James, Chalobah, Fofana, Hato; Santos, Caicedo; Palmer, Enzo Fernandez, Garnacho; Pedro
While Tammy Abraham, Morgan Rogers, and FPL captaincy candidate Cole Palmer were viable candidates for this section, we have picked Joao Pedro as the Player to Watch for Wednesday’s Premier League match between Aston Villa and Chelsea at Villa Park.
The Brazilian international has been directly involved in five goals in five Premier League outings against Aston Villa (G2 A3). Against no side has he been involved in more in the competition, and Pedro will be the go-to player for Liam Rosenior in the final third against Aston Villa this week.
Wednesday’s match features two teams that have not been at their best in recent weeks, often dropping points in favourable match-ups. So, both sides will be eager to return to winning ways and get closer to securing UEFA Champions League qualification for the 2026/27 season.
However, with Aston Villa and Chelsea showing defensive vulnerabilities, a closely-contested affair is on the cards. Ultimately, there might not be much to separate the two sides, and The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-2 draw, with Cole Palmer, Tammy Abraham, and Morgan Rogers delivering the goods.
