Chelsea's issues in front of goal have been well-documented this season. The Blues have only scored 29 goals in the Premier League which is just seven more than Everton and Nottingham Forest who are the division's lowest scorers.
The goal-scoring form of Harry Kane, Marcus Rashford and of course Erling Haaland has mostly made any other goal tally from a Premier League star look poor. However, Chelsea's list of players and their goals for the season does not need those lofty comparisons to not look very good in the slightest.
In joint-third place is the now-departed Jorginho, who granted was on penalties, but to be in the top three having left the club two months ago is a worrying stat. Above him is Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Mason Mount, who are both enduring difficult spells at Stamford Bridge.
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The main source of the goals this season have come from Raheem Sterling and Kai Havertz. The duo were both on target in the Champions League victory against Borussia Dortmund, while Havertz followed up his strike on the European stage with goals against Leicester and Everton.
However, he may not be able to score in a fourth consecutive game against Aston Villa after withdrawing from international duty. Havertz featured for Germany against Peru, but it was confirmed he would be absent from their clash against Belgium four days later after returning to London due to illness.
Sterling has been suffering with fitness problems of his own that saw him omitted from Gareth Southgate's England squad along with Mount. The former Manchester City star returned to training on Tuesday though and will likely be available for the weekend's clash with Villa at Stamford Bridge.
Both could be doubts for the game though, which leaves Potter with a major dilemma, however the Chelsea boss has been handed an unlikely solution. Mateo Kovacic scored a late goal in the Blues' 3-1 over Leicester with a delightful volley that was his first in over 12 months.
On international duty, Kovacic continued to find the back of the net picking up a brace in Croatia's 2-0 European Championship qualifying victory over Turkey. The 28-year-old's first goal was a superbly instinctive finish after arriving late into the box before doubling his tally for the evening right after half time.
Kovacic is of course highly unlikely to be played up front, but he has proven in recent weeks he can be a valuable asset to Potter and Chelsea in ways they may not have imagined. N'Golo Kante certainly faces a tough task to get into the Chelsea starting XI after recovering from his long-term knee injury with Kovacic shining in midfield and in front of goal.
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