Ian Maatsen to run scared as Enzo Maresca drops injury update ahead of Chelsea vs Aston Villa
Enzo Maresca’s team news update ahead of Aston Villa’s clash with Chelsea on Saturday does not bode well for Ian Maatsen.
Aston Villa travel to West London to face Chelsea on Saturday, and Unai Emery’s side are looking to equal a club record 11-match winning run.
Villa signed Maatsen from Chelsea in 2024 for £37.5million, and the left-back is beginning to make his mark under Emery this season.
Maatsen excelled against Brighton and Arsenal, and he has not dropped from a starting lineup in the Premier League ever since.
However, Maatsen’s fifth consecutive start in the top flight could be his toughest match yet, as Maresca announced that Brazilian wonderkid Estevao is fit to play at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.
Estevao is available to play vs Aston Villa
In his press conference on 24 December, Maresca confirmed that both Estevao and Liam Delap are in contention to start against Villa.
The 18-year-old right winger has emerged as one of Europe’s brightest talents, scoring a last-minute winner against Liverpool in October, before excelling in a 3-0 demolition of Barcelona.
However, he missed Chelsea’s last two matches due to a muscle injury, with Pedro Neto playing on the right in his place.
| Stat | Maatsen |
| Appearances | 12 |
| Starts | 5 |
| Pass accuracy | 85.4% |
| Recoveries | 31 |
| Dribbled past | 9 |
Maatsen has been criticised by Jamie Carragher in the past, and although he’s now getting a consistent run of games in the team, there are still question marks over him from a defensive standpoint.
According to FotMob, Maatsen won 6/13 ground duels (46%) against Man United and has a success rate of only 54.9% across the whole season.
On the other hand, Estevao has registered 3.38 successful dribbles and 8.16 touches in the opposition box per 90 minutes this season.
The fact that he is available means Maatsen will have to be at the top of his game; otherwise, Villa’s winning streak could come to an end at the hands of the 18-year-old.
That isn’t the only worrying news for Villa fans, as Cole Palmer has now been declared fully fit to play the whole match against Villa.
Cole Palmer fit to play 90 minutes for first time since September
Chelsea’s talisman has been slowly regaining fitness after missing over eight weeks of Premier League football with groin and toe issues.
Although he has featured four times in the last month, he hasn’t played a full game of football since 17 September, but Saturday could be his chance to get back to his best with 90 minutes of action under his belt.
Palmer has just two goal contributions in six matches against Aston Villa, with both of those coming in Chelsea’s 3-0 win in December 2024.
Villa’s defenders have an incredibly tough evening ahead of them, and with Chelsea at full strength, Emery’s side may fail to keep a clean sheet for the sixth game in a row.
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