Chelsea handed double injury blow ahead of Aston Villa clash - Reports

Chelsea will head into Saturday night's Premier League fixture against Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge without the services of French midfielder N'Golo Kante and American winger Christian Pulisic according to talkSPORT.

The Blues have enjoyed an impressive start to their 2021-22 Premier League campaign, winning two and drawing one of their opening three games in the league.

Many fans and pundits believe Chelsea have one of the strongest squads in the Premier League this season. The signing of Romelu Lukaku from Inter Milan in a deal worth £97.5 million is considered to be one of the deals of the summer.

Chelsea struggled at times last season due to a lack of goals from its strikers. Thomas Tuchel lacked faith in the likes of Timo Werner, Olivier Giroud, Tammy Abraham, and Kai Havertz.

The German therefore prioritized the signing of a top-quality striker this summer. Romelu Lukaku opened his account for Chelsea on his second debut for the club against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium.

The Belgian put in an immense performance against the Gunners as he scored a goal and played a part in Chelsea's second goal of the game, which was scored by Reece James.

Lukaku put in another impressive performance against Liverpool two weeks ago, but was unable to make a significant impact on the game after the Blues went down to 10 men late in the first half.

Chelsea will fancy their chances against Dean Smith's Aston Villa, who have won just one of their opening three Premier League games this season. Thomas Tuchel will, however, have to do without the services of N'Golo Kante and Christiano Pulisic.

The German could start the game with Jorginho and Mateo Kovacic at the base of midfield. Chelsea may also use either Timo Werner or Hakim Ziyech. New signing Saul Niguez could also make his debut for the club, but is likely to be used as an impact substitute.

Thomas Tuchel has ruled out N’Golo Kante and Christian Pulisic for tomorrow's match versus Aston Villa. #CHEAVL pic.twitter.com/KnCzbSzcDI

— Chelsea FC USA (@ChelseaFCinUSA) September 10, 2021

Chelsea's squad depth makes them favorites to win the Premier League title this season

Arsenal v Chelsea - Premier League

Chelsea possess multiple options for each position in their squad. The Blues' incredible squad depth makes them the favorites to win the Premier League title this season ahead of Manchester City and Manchester United.

Confirmation from Thomas Tuchel that N’Golo Kante and Christian Pulisic are out of tomorrow’s game against Aston Villa, but the good news is that Romelu Lukaku is fit.

— Frank Khalid (@FrankKhalidUK) September 10, 2021

Manchester City's lack of a top-quality striker and Manchester United's lack of a solid defensive midfielder has made pundits believe that Thomas Tuchel has the squad to lead Chelsea to the league title this season.

However, Chelsea will have to be wary of an Aston Villa side who are capable of causing a major upset.