Chelsea take on Aston Villa as third faces fourth in the race of Champions League football.
The Blues are out to return to winning ways after their comeback to salvage a draw at Newcastle last time out, snatching a point in a 2-2 stalemate at St Jamesâ Park.
Enzo Marescaâs side had suffered a blip since their 3-0 win over Barcelona in the Champions League, which saw them lose touch with the pace-setters at the top.
Villa sit third in the table, seven points clear of Chelsea, having beaten Manchester United 2-1 in their last match.
Morgan Rogers, a rumoured transfer target for the Blues, notched two superb goals that day, and Maresca was asked whether he would prefer to have Rogers in his side over fellow England international Cole Palmer.
The Italian laughed off the question, insisting that he would rather have his No10, who is back in form after netting in the victory over Everton.
Date, kick-off time and venue
XX vs XX is scheduled for a 5.30pm GMT kick-off on Saturday, December 27, 2025.
The match will take place at Stamford Bridge.
Where to watch Chelsea vs Aston Villa
TV channel: In the UK, the game will be televised live on Sky Sports Main Event, with coverage starting at 5pm ahead of the 5.30pm kick-off.
Live stream: Sky Sports subscribers can also catch the contest live online via the Sky Go app.
Live blog: You can follow all the action on matchday via Standard Sportâs live blog, with expert analysis from Dom Smith at the ground.
Free highlights: The Sky Sports app and YouTube channel will show highlights from 5.15pm with Match of the Day broadcasting on BBC One at 1025pm.
Chelsea vs Aston Villa team news
The two summer signings have been sidelined in recent weeks with a small muscular problem and a shoulder injury respectively, but Maresca revealed in his pre-match press conference that both would be back.
Otherwise, it is a case of the longer-term absentees continuing their rehabilitation: Levi Colwill, Romeo Lavia and Dario Essugo.
As for Villa, former Chelsea midfielder Ross Barkley is out till February, while centre-backs Pau Torres and Tyrone Mings are sidelined with calf and hamstring issues respectively.
There could be returns for Jadon Sancho – who was ineligible to face parent club Man United – and fellow loanee Harvey Elliott, who was ruled out of the United victory with illness.
Should Sancho play, he would face another of his former clubs, with the Blues paying United a penalty fee back in the summer to cancel an obligation to buy the winger.
Chelsea vs Aston Villa prediction
Villa are tricky customers, as is demonstrated by their league position.
They were not great against United at all, and were bailed out by the brilliance of Rogers.
There is sure to be a marked improvement from Unai Emeryâs side this time, however, and Chelsea must be ready for it.
The Blues themselves were not good in the first half at St Jamesâ Park last weekend, but improved and showed fight to earn a big point.
They will need more of that grit here to claim all three.
Head to head (h2h) history and results
Chelsea vs Aston Villa match odds
Odds via Betfair (subject to change).
