Predicted Chelsea line-up vs Aston Villa: Minor tweaks with Morgan Rogers threat in mind | OneFootball

Enzo Maresca is expected to make a few minor tweaks in the team for Saturday's Premier League home match against Aston Villa.

Despite dropping points at Newcastle United last weekend, it was still a remarkable second-half performance from Chelsea, who were down by two goals at half-time, to salvage a point from the match.

Chelsea's line-up is unlikely to look much different this weekend, and the stability would only help with consistency.

Robert Sanchez should start in goal. Despite conceding two goals against Newcastle, the Spaniard still made a few important saves. In addition to that, his quick thinking led to an assist for Joao Pedro's equaliser in the game.

Malo Gusto started at right-back at St. James' Park, and he struggled to contain Anthony Gordon.

Villa will have arguably a bigger threat on their left flank with Morgan Rogers, so Reece James, who is clearly a better defender than Gusto, should start in this position.

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Wesley Fofana, Trevoh Chalobah, and Marc Cucurella, on the other hand, should all keep their spots in the starting XI.

Since James is expected to start at the back, Enzo Fernandez should then accompany Moises Caicedo in midfield.

Fernandez's presence proved impactful for Chelsea in the second half against Newcastle, especially in dealing with opposition pressing.

Maresca confirmed Cole Palmer is ready to play a full 90-minute game against Villa, and he is one of the first names on the team sheet as a number 10.

On the right flank, while Estevao is back in the team, Pedro Neto remains the preferred option to start.

It will be interesting to see Maresca's decision for the opposite flank. The Chelsea head coach has mostly used Alejandro Garnacho and Jamie Gittens alternately between games.

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If Gittens starts, then the pair will likely continue to share left-winger minutes. On the other hand, if Garnacho starts, it could be a sign that he is already ahead of Gittens in the pecking order.

Up front, Joao Pedro, who is in decent form, should start ahead of returning Liam Delap.

Predicted Chelsea line-up (4-2-3-1) vs Aston Villa

Goalkeeper: Robert Sanchez

Defenders: Reece James, Wesley Fofana, Trevoh Chalobah, Marc Cucurella

Midfielders: Enzo Fernandez, Moises Caicedo, Cole Palmer

Forwards: Pedro Neto, Joao Pedro, Alejandro Garnacho