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Jose Mourinho and Tim Sherwood will have no doubts as to the result they will be looking for when Chelsea and Aston Villa play each other at Stamford Bridge on Saturday. With both managers facing questions over their jobs at their respective clubs, it will be a make-or-break game for both sides.
Both Premier League managers have experienced poor starts to the new campaign at their clubs, which has undoubtedly heaped the pressure on them to get a win following the international break.
Trending
For Mourinho, there has been talk of a possible mutiny at Chelsea, which was swiftly followed by a denial, igniting a debate with his admission that he is unlikely to finish his career at the club despite wanting to do so.
Mourinho’s start to the week was disappointing as there has been the £50,000 fine handed to the Portuguese coach by the Football Association, along with a suspended one-match stadium ban, which also included Mourinho's thinly-veiled attack at Arsenal coach Arsene Wenger during an event to launch his new book on Thursday.
It has, therefore, hardly been a smooth start to the season for the Chelsea manager, but what will really matter to Mourinho now is not the off-field stories but the on-field results and, with the champions already trailing league-leaders Manchester City by 10 points, Mourinho knows his side must beat Villa at the Bridge.
But as Crystal Palace and Southampton have proved this term, that task may not prove so easy even with Sherwood's side languishing in the relegation zone. The Villa boss is nearing a sack and is a favourite to follow Brendan Rodgers, although a result in West London could help boost his chances of saving himself and his side from the drop.
So what do fans need to know about Chelsea's game with Villa on Saturday? Read on to find out.
Kick Off and Live Telecast
Channel: StarSports 4
Live Stream: starsports.com
Date and Time: Saturday, 17th October 2015 – 1930 IST (1500 BST)
Venue: Stamford Bridge, London
Team News
Chelsea
Jose Mourinho will be without the services of Branislav Ivanovic against Villa after the right-back was ruled out for up to a month with a hamstring injury, which he suffered while on international duty with Serbia.
That is likely to see the Chelsea boss shift Cesar Azpilicueta to right-back and give summer signing Abdul Baba Rahman a start at left-back after the defender did well in that position in the Champions League against Maccabi Tel Aviv.
Mourinho also confirmed before the international break that Ruben Loftus-Cheek will be given the chance to impress against Villa while striker Diego Costa is expected to lead the attacking line after returning from his three-match suspension.
Aston Villa
On the other hand, Aston Villa should be able to call upon Jack Grealish and midfielder Carles Gil after both came on as second-half substitutes in Villa's 1-0 loss to Stoke before the international break.
However, the Villa boss is likely to have to do without defenders Ciaran Clark (hip) and Jores Okore (knee) while the club will assess Adama Traore (ankle) and Gabriel Agbonlahor (calf) ahead of the game on Saturday. Tim Sherwood will be relying heavily on his striker Rudy Gestede to come good against an unsure Chelsea defense.
Form
Chelsea
Chelsea's form has been a disaster. The reigning Premier League champions have won just two of their opening eight games and are languishing in 16th place in the table.
The Blues are 10 points behind leaders Manchester City and the gap needs to be closed as a matter of urgency.
Saturday's game would have been a home banker in recent years, but Chelsea's plight will give the visitors' hope of a win.
Last 5 games: W-W-D-L-L (Most Recent: Chelsea 1-3 Southampton)
Aston Villa
However, Villa are struggling under Sherwood this term and an opening day win against Bournemouth represents their solitary victory.
The West Midlands outfit have lost their last four games and are at risk of enduring a season-long relegation battle.
Chelsea ran out comfortable 3-0 winners in last season's corresponding fixture while a Branislav Ivanovic strike secured a 2-1 win at Villa Park in February.
Last 5 games: L-L-W-L-L (Most Recent: Aston Villa 0-1 Stoke City)
Key Stats
Head-to-Head
Jose Mourinho has won five and drawn one of his six league meetings against Villa at the Bridge.
Jose Mourinho has never lost successive home league games as a manager.
- The last time the two teams faced each other, Chelsea beat Villa 2-1 at Villa Park.
- The corresponding fixture last year was won by Chelsea 3-0.
- Aston Villa last defeated Chelsea at Villa Park 1-0 in March 2014.
Chelsea
- Chelsea have 8 points from 8 games. It’s been 37 years since Chelsea started a league campaign this badly.
- Back in 1978/79, they picked up five points from their first eight games and finished rock-bottom of Division 1, England’s top tier.
- Languishing at the 16th position in the League table, the Blues will be expected to revive their season.
Aston Villa
Villa are in the bottom three at 18th position in the points table.
They have just one point from their last six Premier League outings, losing five games.
Aston Villa have lost four Premier League games in a row by a one-goal margin; no side has ever done this in five consecutive matches.
Aston Villa find themselves 4 points adrift of safety in the bottom three.
Probable line-ups
Chelsea (4-2-3-1):
Begovic, Azpilicueta, Zouma, Cahill, Baba Rahman, Loftus-Cheek, Fabregas, Willian, Oscar, Hazard, Costa
Aston Villa (4-2-3-1):
Guzan, Crespo, Richards, Lescott, Hutton, Gueve, Westwood, Sinclair, Amavi, Gestede, Ayew
Key Battles
Micah Richards vs Diego Costa
New captain Micah Richards will be tasked with ensuring that Saturday's game is no pushover for the hosts having been one of Villa's bright sparks this season. Richards has not only been leading by example with impressive defensive figures but has also been looking to force the side forward having completed more dribbles (14) than any other defender this season.
The former England international will be tasked with keeping the returning Diego Costa quiet in the capital but must also be wary of the threat of Eden Hazard, who returned to form over the international break. The Belgian remains Chelsea top performer which highlights both the team's problems and the fact that he is still the Blues' most potent weapon. Costa will be expecting to show what his team lacked during his absence in the three games he missed due to suspension.
Gary Cahill vs Rudy Gestede
Villa’s new target man, who has been nominated for the African Player of the Year award, has scored his side’s last three goals and will be keen to capitalise on Chelsea’s shaky start. He has four already this season despite Villa’s poor start to the campaign. Aston Villa’s greatest goal threat going against Chelsea’s best defender will be a fascinating clash to witness with both the teams looking to outdo each other. Gestede’s heading ability has taken everyone by surprise and Cahill will have to be at his best to stop the in-form Villan striker.
Prediction
Chelsea 2-0 Aston Villa
As things stand Chelsea are level with West Brom on goal difference above the drop zone and though they are in no danger of dropping into it this weekend, anything other than a win would be a disaster for the hosts. This fixture often goes one of two ways, with Villa either putting up a real fight - at times upsetting the odds - or completely capitulating, losing this fixture 3-0 last season having suffered humiliating 8-0 and 7-1 defeats in recent years at Stamford Bridge.
The fact that only Sunderland have conceded more goals this season than Mourinho's men (17) may well mean that this is a tighter affair than last September, but Chelsea are still strong favourites. That said, while Villa's losing streak of 4 games is the longest in the league this season they are yet to be defeated by more than a single goal. While defeat for either manager would unlikely cost them their job directly this weekend it could well go some way to making their position untenable further down the line. We can expect a tense affair at the Bridge as a result. But Chelsea might force their way back towards the top half of the table with a win.
Betting odds (William Hill)
Chelsea to win: 1/3
Aston Villa to win: 8/1
Draw: 4/1
