England FA Cup 4th Round Replays (06-07 February)

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Aston Villa vs Chelsea Preview:

Possible starting lineups:

Aston Villa:
Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Lenglet, Moreno; McGinn, Kamara, Luiz, Bailey; Diaby, Watkins

Chelsea:
Petrovic; Gusto, Disasi, Badiashile, Chilwell; Chukwuemeka, Fernandez; Palmer, Nkunku, Mudryk; Jackson

Aston Villa and Chelsea will face each against other in the FA Cup fourth-round replay, this time in Birmingham. The first match at Stamford Bridge finished with a goalless draw. Chelsea had several opportunities to take the lead but failed to score. There were two reasons why they failed to find the back of the net - excellent performance of Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez and poor finishing by the Blues. Aston Villa had their own opportunities, the visiting fans thought Douglas Luiz had opened the scoring in the 12th minute, but the video assistant referee ruled out the goal, judging the Villa midfielder had controlled the ball with his hand.

Aston Villa are fourth in the Premier League with 46 points. They are five points behind the leaders Liverpool. Coach Unai Emery is doing an excellent job and the fans are satisfied. They are hoping for Champions League football the next season. Some of them are dreaming about the title. It won't be easy, but Leicester showed it is possible. The Villans were fantastic during the weekend, they beat Sheffield United 5:0 at Bramall Lane. Five different players were at scoring sheet - McGinn, Watkins, Bailey, Tielemans and Alex Moreno. Too bad that Villa had dropped five points on the previous two fixtures, playing a goalless draw with Everton and losing 3:1 to Newcastle at home. For this match Emery has lot of unavailable players - Morgan Rogers is cup-tied, while Emi Buendia, Tyrone Mings and Jhon Duran remain out injured. Three more players are also expected to miss out - Pau Torres, Lucas Digne and Nicolo Zaniolo.

Chelsea are in huge crisis, the biggest one in the last few decades. The Blues have suffered two heavy defeats in the last two matches. First they lost 4:1 to Liverpool at Anfield, while then came a painful 4:2 home defeat to Wolverhampton Wanderers. The fans left Stamford Bridge frustrated and well aware that changes are necessary. Pochettino could be the first victim, particularly if they don't get a positive result here. Pochettino has some injury worries too. Lesley Ugochukwu, Wesley Fofana, Robert Sanchez, Reece James, Marc Cucurella and Romeo Lavia remain sidelined through injuries, while Levi Colwill has a slim chance of making his return this week. Trevoh Chalobah is rated as doubtful with a thigh injury - he is back in team training, but it seems this match comes too soon for him. Pochettino must change something after two defeats, so Carney Chukwuemeka, Benoit Badiashile and Mykhaylo Mudryk could benefit from that. Nicolas Jackson has returned from the Africa Cup of Nations and could participate in this match, maybe from the first minute.

Aston Villa vs Chelsea Prediction:

Aston Villa should win this match. They are in good form and the players confidence is very high after the convincing 5:0 win over Sheffield United during the weekend. Even more, the victory was obtain away from home. Chelsea, meanwhile, are in big crisis, the biggest one in Pochettino's time. They suffered two heavy defeats in the last two matches. First they lost 4:1 to Liverpool at Anfield, while then followed a painful 4:2 home defeat to Wolverhampton Wanderers. It is clear the season is lost, but Pochettino will like a piece of silverware. The Blues will play in the Carabao Cup final this month, so they will try to secure another final at Wembley. Two cup trophies could save the Argentinian coach, but I don't think it is possible. The crisis is simply too big. Aston Villa should win the match.

Aston Villa vs Chelsea Pick: Aston Villa to win @ 2.10 with Everygame