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Aston Villa (possible 4-4-1-1) Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Torres, Digne; Bailey, Tielemans, Douglas Luiz, Rogers; McGinn; Watkins.
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Subs: Olsen, Lenglet, Chambers, Hayden, Diego Carlos, Iroegbunam, Kellyman, Diaby, Duran.
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Chelsea (4-2-3-1) Petrovic; Chalobah, Thiago Silva, Badiashile, Cucurella; Caicedo, Gallagher (capt); Madueke, Palmer, Mudryk; Jackson.
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Subs: Bettinelli, Curd, Disasi, Chilwell, Acheampong, Gilchrist, Dyer, Casadei, George, Washington.
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Referee Craig Pawson.
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Cole Palmer, who was enough of a doubt to be in italics on our predicted line-ups, has been passed fit, so he starts. No sign of Raheem Sterling. For Villa, Douglas Luiz replaces Moussa Diaby.
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Evening everyone and welcome to the last game of the day in the Premier League. It’s fourth against ninth, and they both know what they’re up against as they have already met three times this season.
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So far there hasn’t been anything for the home crowds to celebrate. Villa won 1-0 at Stamford Bridge in the league as a goal from Ollie Watkins followed a red card for Malo Gusto. In the FA Cup, it was 0-0 at the Bridge before Chelsea went to Villa Park and won 3-1, with a flourish, in a match that, if the FA gets its way, will be the last of its kind for either side.
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That was the start of Chelsea’s best spell of the season, a run of 12 games in which the only taste of defeat was the bitter one that came in the dying minutes of the League Cup final. Now they’re in a rather different place, after losing narrowly to Man City in the FA Cup and heavily to Arsenal in the league – though, in between, they did manage to beat Everton 6-0.
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On league form there is nothing to separate these two sides. Since Christmas, both have won exactly half their games. And both have 11 points from their past six, which (at 5.15pm today) was enough to put them above everybody in the form table bar City, Arsenal and Newcastle. Let’s face it: we’ve reached the stage of the season when everyone is knackered and anything can happen.
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Kick-off is at 8pm BST and I’ll be back soon with the teams.
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Key events
In other news, Everton have avoided relegation. They needed three points today and got them by beating Brentford 1-0 with a goal from Idrissa Gueye. Since capitulating at Chelsea, Everton have had three games at Goodison Park and won them all without conceding once. Everton go 15th, above Brentford: it were not for the points deductions, they’d be level with Brighton.
We have an email. “What does it mean,” wonders Stephen Taylor, “‘if the FA gets its way’?” Sorry not to be clear – I was referring to this story.
Teams in full
Aston Villa (possible 4-4-1-1) Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Torres, Digne; Bailey, Tielemans, Douglas Luiz, Rogers; McGinn; Watkins.
Subs: Olsen, Lenglet, Chambers, Hayden, Diego Carlos, Iroegbunam, Kellyman, Diaby, Duran.
Chelsea (4-2-3-1) Petrovic; Chalobah, Thiago Silva, Badiashile, Cucurella; Caicedo, Gallagher (capt); Madueke, Palmer, Mudryk; Jackson.
Subs: Bettinelli, Curd, Disasi, Chilwell, Acheampong, Gilchrist, Dyer, Casadei, George, Washington.
Referee Craig Pawson.
Teams in brief: Palmer starts, Luiz returns
Cole Palmer, who was enough of a doubt to be in italics on our predicted line-ups, has been passed fit, so he starts. No sign of Raheem Sterling. For Villa, Douglas Luiz replaces Moussa Diaby.
Preamble
Evening everyone and welcome to the last game of the day in the Premier League. It’s fourth against ninth, and they both know what they’re up against as they have already met three times this season.
So far there hasn’t been anything for the home crowds to celebrate. Villa won 1-0 at Stamford Bridge in the league as a goal from Ollie Watkins followed a red card for Malo Gusto. In the FA Cup, it was 0-0 at the Bridge before Chelsea went to Villa Park and won 3-1, with a flourish, in a match that, if the FA gets its way, will be the last of its kind for either side.
That was the start of Chelsea’s best spell of the season, a run of 12 games in which the only taste of defeat was the bitter one that came in the dying minutes of the League Cup final. Now they’re in a rather different place, after losing narrowly to Man City in the FA Cup and heavily to Arsenal in the league – though, in between, they did manage to beat Everton 6-0.
On league form there is nothing to separate these two sides. Since Christmas, both have won exactly half their games. And both have 11 points from their past six, which (at 5.15pm today) was enough to put them above everybody in the form table bar City, Arsenal and Newcastle. Let’s face it: we’ve reached the stage of the season when everyone is knackered and anything can happen.
Kick-off is at 8pm BST and I’ll be back soon with the teams.