Team news
Chelsea pair Pedro Neto and Malo Gusto are expected to be available on Sunday after recovering from injury and illness respectively.
Head coach Enzo Maresca had the luxury of making 10 changes to his starting XI for Thursday's Conference League win at Heidenheim, with Benoit Badiashile the only player retaining his place.
Aston Villa midfielder Amadou Onana could be involved after missing two matches with a foot problem.
Jacob Ramsey remains out but fit-again Boubacar Kamara returned to the Villa line-up against Juventus in midweek and Ezri Konsa was an unused substitute following a hip issue.
Match facts
Head-to-head
Aston Villa can earn three successive away league wins against Chelsea for only the second time, having done so between 1930 and 1933.
Villa are vying to become the first visiting team to keep three top-flight clean sheets in a row at Stamford Bridge since Everton from 1977 to 1984.
These teams also met in last season's FA Cup fourth round, with Chelsea progressing 3-1 in a replay at Villa Park after a goalless draw at home.
Chelsea
Chelsea were winless in all eight league matches last season against the teams that finished in the top four (D5, L3) - and they've only taken one point from three meetings with those sides in 2024-25.
Nonetheless, their only three defeats in the past 27 top-flight games came away to Arsenal and Liverpool and at home to Manchester City (W15, D9).
The Blues are in danger of going seven consecutive top-flight home matches without a clean sheet from the beginning of a season for the first time since a run of nine in 1978-79.
Only 41% of Chelsea’s points this season have come at home, the lowest percentage of any side so far this term.
Nicolas Jackson has been directly involved in 17 goals in his past 20 Premier League appearances, scoring 12 and setting up five.
No player has created more chances from open play in the Premier League this season than Cole Palmer, with 28. Palmer has made four appearances in all competitions without ever scoring against Aston Villa; he only has a worse record against Liverpool, who he's faced five times.
Aston Villa
Aston Villa are winless in seven games in all competitions (D3, L4). It's their longest run without a victory under Unai Emery.
They lost all three competitive away matches in November, having won five and drawn one of their opening six fixtures on the road this season.
Villa have earned 11 points from losing positions in 2024-25, behind only Manchester City’s 13.
Their only clean sheet in 17 league matches came in a 0-0 home draw against Manchester United last month. Villa have conceded 31 goals during that period, an average of 1.82 per game.
Ollie Watkins could become the first visiting player to score three match-winning goals at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League.
Jhon Duran scored five goals in his first eight substitute appearances for Villa this season but has failed to score in eight subsequent cameos off the bench.
