Chelsea will look to kickstart their EFL Cup campaign after an unbeaten start to the Premier League season. (9/22/2021)19:45 GMT

Chelsea vs Aston Villa, Prediction, team news, and lineups. Chelsea vs Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday, looking to open their EFL Cup campaign with a win after an undefeated start to the Premier League season.

The visitors have previously advanced to the second round of the competition, defeating fourth-tier Barrow 6-0 in August, and both teams are coming off 3-0 victory in the Premier League.

Thomas Tuchel took over as manager of Chelsea in January and led the Blues to the Champions League championship and fourth place in the Premier League last season.

They will almost certainly have gone into the new league season with the goal of winning the title, and they now sit atop the table with 11 points after their first five games.

That is due to similar effectiveness on both ends of the field, with only one goal surrendered in five games and only one team scoring more goals than Tuchel’s men have scored thus far.

The Champions League winners are coming off a 3-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur in Premier League play on Sunday, with Thiago Silva, N’Golo Kante, and Antonio Rudiger all scoring in the second half.

Tuchel’s eye-catching record as Chelsea manager has now improved to 26 wins, five losses, and 23 goals conceded in 38 games in charge, and he will be eager to strive for every conceivable piece of silverware this season, as they make their debut appearance in the EFL Cup.

The side they face, Aston Villa, is now 10th in the Premier League following a shaky start to the season.

Following a 1-0 loss to Watford, Dean Smith’s side defeated Newcastle United 2-0 before drawing with Brentford and facing Chelsea on Wednesday.

Tuchel’s side won 3-0 last time the two teams met in the league, thanks to a Romelu Lukaku brace and a Mateo Kovacic goal, but they bounced back to smash their opponents 3-0 the next time around.

The team from the Midlands went up against Everton on Saturday, and Matty Cash and Leon Bailey both scored within 10 minutes of each other after Lucas Digne’s own goal gave them newfound confidence.

They made it thus far in the competition after beating League Two side Barrow 5-0, with goals from Cameron Archer, Anwar El-Ghazi, and Frederic Guilbert.

Smith’s team will want to avenge their Premier League loss and eliminate the highly anticipated Blues from the tournament in order to improve their chances of winning the trophy.

Chelsea to Win/Under 3.5

An under 3.5 game, The team under Tuchel at Stamford Bridge is running like a well-oiled machine, and a cup defeat would surely impede that momentum. Although several important players will miss Wednesday’s match due to injury, the Blues still have enough skill to advance to the next round despite their absence.

Chelsea vs Aston Villa Team News

Chelsea:

Edouard Mendy, Chelsea first-choice goalkeeper still out, after he missed the match against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, while winger Christian Pulisic is set to stay out for the time being.

Tuchel is set to rotate his team, with players like Timo Werner, Callum Hudson-Odoi, and Ben Chilwell anticipated to start. Trevoh Chalobah, a centre-back for his childhood club, will also play a part in the match.

Saul Niguez, a loanee from Atletico Madrid to Chelsea, made his debut against Aston Villa and is expected to start against the Villains.

Aston Villa:

When Aston Villa beat Everton, Matty Cash, Matt Targett, and Leon Bailey all went down with muscular injuries and had to be changed as a precaution due to a concussion, they all had to sit out with Trezeguet and Keinan Davis. Despite the youthful squad’s impressive performance against Barrow, Smith will likely add more experience when they face much harder opponents, with the likes of Bertrand Traore and Ollie Watkins set to play important parts.

The match presents an excellent chance for French midfielder Morgan Sanson to get some playing time, since he has yet to settle in at Villa Park following his January move from Marseille.