Pochettino hands out second start of the year amid two changes- Chelsea predicted lineup vs Aston Villa

Chelsea will welcome back Cole Palmer for their trip to Villa Park as they look to breathe life back into their European ambitions after the 5-0 thrashing at Arsenal Monday night. The Blues have fresh injury concerns with Raheem Sterling and Carney Chukwuemeka ruled out of the game. 

Reece James and Levi Colwill are back in training but the game comes too soon for them according to manager Mauricio Pochettino. Sterling will be a big miss having picked up a back problem in what has been a disappointing second half of the season personally for him. 

Palmer’s return, however, is a massive boost having bagged league 20 goals in his first season at the club. His absence at the Emirates was deeply felt and manager Mauricio Pochettino admitted he makes a difference to the team when they play. 

Chelsea’s entire season has been disrupted by injuries and midfielder Enzo Fernandez has undergone surgery to try and correct a groin problem he’s been playing within the last six months. Within the club, there is a certain level of sympathy towards manager Pochettino given his team has suffered more than 50 injuries across the entire squad.

Aston Villa have their Champions League ambitions and are in a strong position in the Europa Conference, they’ll hope to win that too. Unai Emery also has injury concerns, with six players out, including Nicolo Zaniolo and Alex Moreno. 

Chelsea are desperate for a win, one that could resurrect a campaign that has had many lows but could miraculously still end in triumph if they can put a good run together. 

So with that said, below is the team manager Mauricio Pochettino is likely to put out there.