Chelsea might still be smarting from a poor season this campaign but nothing can compare with what the Aston Villa faithful must be going through at the moment. Not only they are at the bottom of the league, they are sure shots for relegation and even their manager Remi Garde has left, just months after taking the job.
The side from London travel to Villa Park and will look to rub more salt into the wounds. Chelsea might look to do the same kind of damage that Liverpool did when they beat the Villains by a large margin.
Chelsea currently is on the 10th spot and is just six points off the seventh spot, which could be their best chance of getting into Europe. We look ahead to a game that should be one sided and list out the three key battles in the game.
Rudy Gestede vs. Gary Cahill
The Gabon striker might not have done as much as he would have wanted to at Villa but he is going to play at a level that suits him next season that is the Championship. Jokes apart, Gestede would be a great option for a team that actually has a game plan which is to cross the ball.
He is great in the air and probably is one of the best headers of the ball. Gestede would be battling against Gary Cahill who would have the job of keeping him in his pocket. If Cahill can keep the Aston Villa striker quiet, Villa have no chance of scoring, let alone winning.
Aly Cissokho vs. Willian
The former Milan and Liverpool defender has had a torrid time in Villa and would be looking to end the season as soon as possible without any more damage being done to his credibility if he has any left.
Willian has been the one player at Chelsea who has played out of his socks and he would be looking at taking on Cissokho and making life extremely difficult for the left-back. This could be one of the toughest outings for Aly and well it certainly won’t end well for him.
Brad Guzan vs. The Chelsea offence
Brad Guzan must be wondering what has gone so wrong with a club that actually was well run, until the sacked of Martin O’Neil. Post that, there has been no stability at the club and it has been one new manager after another without any concrete plan.
Chelsea might be without Diego Costa in the tie but the likes of Pedro, Willian, and Loic Remy could well run rampant against the Aston Villa defence and Guzan would have to play at his best if he hopes to leave Villa part with some sort of credibility for the team. This could get ugly for the home side.