Chelsea squad sent strong Liam Rosenior warning as key Aston Villa threats identified | OneFootball

Liam Rosenior said he has already prepared Chelsea players for Aston Villa's goalscoring threats from outside the box ahead of their trip to Villa Park on Wednesday.

This Premier League clash will have a big impact on the race for the Champions League spots.

Chelsea, who have now dropped down to sixth in the table, are under bigger pressure to get a positive result than fourth-placed Villa, who remain six points ahead of Rosenior's side.

In his press conference on Monday, Rosenior was unsurprisingly asked about Villa's long-range threats.

Villa are leading the Premier League in goals from outside the penalty box with 13.

To put it into perspective, Chelsea have had four goals from outside the box.

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"In terms of preparing for Aston Villa, the reason they score great goals is because they have great attacking players," Rosenior said about the Villans' outstanding goalscoring record from range.

"We show individual clips to our players. Our players know the strengths and weaknesses of each individual we're up against.

"It's going to be a very difficult game.

"They're very clinical in terms of the xG that they create, in terms of the values of the goals that they score. They're a good team.

"It's going to be tough because they're going to have a reaction from their last result. We have to make sure we're prepared for a very difficult game."

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Rosenior was referring to Villa's surprise 2-0 defeat to their West Midlands rivals Wolves last Friday.

Villa have had a disappointing run of results recently, with just one win from their last six games across all competitions.

That said, Chelsea have failed to secure a win in their last three Premier League games as well.

Villa also beat Chelsea 2-1 in the reverse fixture at Stamford Bridge back in December, thanks to Ollie Watkins' brace.