Chelsea predicted lineup vs Aston Villa - FA Cup
- Chelsea host Premier League rivals Aston Villa in the FA Cup fourth round on Friday
- Blues booked their place in the Carabao Cup final on Tuesday night
- Villa beat Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in September
It's a swift turnaround for Chelsea in the wake of their Carabao Cup semi-final triumph as they take on Aston Villa in the FA Cup on Friday night.
The Blues produced their most emphatic performance of the Mauricio Pochettino era so far on Tuesday as they thumped Middlesbrough 6-1 to book their place at Wembley.
That victory somewhat eases the pressure on Friday's cup tie, although Chelsea will be keen to extend their winning run at Stamford Bridge to ten games, especially given Villa beat them in west London back in September.
Here's how Poch could set his Chelsea side up for Villa's visit.
Chelsea predicted lineup vs Aston Villa (4-2-3-1)
GK: Dorde Petrovic - Robert Sanchez should be back fit soon, but Petrovic has outperformed the Spaniard since being tasked with filling in.
RB: Alfie Gilchrist - The youngster has cult hero potential and he should be given another chance to impress after starting the third-round victory over Preston.
CB: Axel Disasi - Disasi emerged as a flying full-back on Tuesday, but the Frenchman is more likely to drift into a more natural central position with veteran Thiago Silva surely earning a breather.
CB: Benoit Badiashile - The former Monaco defender has fallen down the pecking order, but Poch's defensive rotation should see Badiashile come back into the fold.
LB: Ben Chilwell - Levi Colwill is due a rest and while it may be a risk to play Chilwell again after returning from injury, the left-back's inclusion on Tuesday was key in Chelsea's emphatic win.
CM: Moises Caicedo - Given the Blues' midfield injuries, Poch doesn't have too much scope to rotate. So, Caicedo, who's starting to impose himself in west London, should continue in the double pivot.
CM: Conor Gallagher - The England international is a sure bet to come back into the team after only making a substitute appearance on Tuesday. Gallagher replaces Enzo Fernandez.
RW: Noni Madueke - Madueke capped off Chelsea's destruction of Boro by coming off the bench to score their sixth. Like Gallagher, Madueke is a near certainty to start on Friday.
AM: Carney Chukwuemeka - Chukwuemeka was back in action last time out and this is a good opportunity to ease him back in further by giving him an hour in this cup tie.
LW: Raheem Sterling - Mykhailo Mudryk was so poor on Tuesday that Sterling might be forced to continue in the side but on the opposite flank.
ST: Armando Broja - Poch's options are slim with Nicolas Jackson away at AFCON. Broja scored in the third round win over Preston.
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