Dan Bardell makes Unai Emery prediction for Aston Villa clash v Chelsea at Stamford Bridge
We’re delighted to welcome Sky Sports journalist Dan Bardell as our exclusive Aston Villa columnist as each week he’ll be giving his views on the biggest talking points at the club…
Dan Bardell expects Unai Emery to name a full-strength side for the Aston Villa game in the FA Cup against Chelsea on Friday (26 January).
Villa booked their place in the fourth round of the competition following a late Matty Cash goal in the 1-0 victory against Middlesbrough at the Riverside Stadium on 6 January.
The Villans boss takes his side to Stamford Bridge to face the Blues, where he’ll have to make important decisions on his team selection as they look to continue fighting on three fronts this season.
Bardell believes it will be a “difficult” game in West London, but he added that the Villa players should be well-rested following their two-week break since the match against Everton on 14 January.
Speaking exclusively to Villa News, Bardell said: “Villa navigated a tricky tie away at Middlesbrough well. They went relatively strong for that game, playing against a Championship team.
“Bearing in mind there have been two weeks since the last game as well, Villa will be well-rested. I think he’ll go strong. Then, once you get to the fifth round, you then start to think ‘okay then, we’re not too far away from it here’.
“It’s a difficult draw. One thing Chelsea have been good at this year is in the cups. At home, they’ve won games, they’ve knocked good teams out.
“I would expect a pretty much first-choice lineup for Villa. There might be certain players that have been injured recently that are just coming back like Youri Tielemans or Pau Torres that will need minutes as well, and this will help.
“I’d expect Villa to be pretty strong going into the Chelsea game and I expect a strong Chelsea side as well. It should be a good game.”
In other Aston Villa news, a journalist is thrilled after a Villa signing has been confirmed.
For more Aston Villa news, follow us on Facebook or join our brand new WhatsApp Channel for instant updates to be sent straight to your phone.