Mauricio Pochettino shares Cole Palmer update for Aston Villa v Chelsea, Ty Bracey reacts
Ty Bracey believes Aston Villa will be confident in their defensive ability even if Chelsea have Cole Palmer available on Saturday (27 April).
The Villans have won back-to-back Premier League games to put themselves firmly in the driving seat as they look to secure Champions League qualification.
Unai Emery’s side welcome the Blues to Villa Park in a game which could see them go nine points clear of Spurs.
This game may be made easier as they could be without their star player. Palmer missed out as his side lost 5-0 at the Emirates on Wednesday (24 April).
Mauricio Pochettino has said, transcribed by Football London, that the Englishman needs to be assessed ahead of the Villa showdown, adding: “I hope he can recover from this situation as soon as possible and be involved again with the team.”
He may be available to face Villa but Bracey believes that if he does, or doesn’t, the home side will remain confident.
Speaking exclusively to Villa News, Bracey said: “He’s their standout player. He’s very important to them and has been their most impactful signing of the summer. If he plays on Saturday (27 April) he will definitely be a threat.
“It’s better for Villa if he’s not a part of that starting XI but we’re obviously going to be heading into that game full of confidence. Chelsea took a battering from Arsenal.
“He’s important, he should be taken seriously but defensively we’ve been really good and Arsenal didn’t manage to score one past us in both games.
“We have to stick to the Emery ways, he’ll have done his research on the best way to nullify him.”
How can Aston Villa beat Chelsea?
It is safe to say that Poch’s side will be looking to bounce back after being smashed 5-0 by their London rivals last time around.
They were without 10 first-team players which saw Alfie Gilchrist come in from the start and was breached after just four minutes.
It is unclear as to who will return for the Blues but Palmer, Malo Gusto, Levi Colwill and Christopher Nkunku may be fit in time.
The last time these sides met, the Villans were massively disappointing as they were knocked out of the FA Cup. Goals from Conor Gallagher, Nicolas Jackson and Enzo Fernandez sorted the tie.
Emery’s side didn’t turn up but this time, after wins over Arsenal and Bournemouth they come into this tie on top form.
The pace and directness of Moussa Diaby and Leon Bailey will cause their full-backs problems, as the Gunners did, which could point the game in Villa’s favour.
Should Palmer miss out, the game may be tipped even further on the scales toward Emery and Co.
In other Aston Villa news, Bayern Munich still want to hire Emery despite new contract developments at Villa Park
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.