Chelsea will be looking to make it five consecutive wins in all competitions with victory over Aston Villa in the Premier League this weekend.
Graham Potter's side ran out comfortable 2-0 winners over AC Milan in the Champions League on Tuesday night and the Blues will be confident about getting another three points come Sunday.
With 10 goals scored and only one conceded in their last four games, Potter has got Chelsea playing good football again. Todd Boehly gambled when he sacked well-loved manager Thomas Tuchel in September, but the German's replacement at Stamford Bridge is already getting the fans on side after some impressive performances.
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Villa, on the other hand, are struggling. Although they're unbeaten in their last four games, they haven't been picking up many points under Steven Gerrard and the former Liverpool captain is under tremendous pressure. He'll be looking to stop the rot and will set his team up to put up a fight, but Chelsea will still be heavy favourites heading into the clash.
That being said, they'll have to do so without Reece James. The knee injury sustained by the England defender in midweek is worse than initially feared and the wing-back faces a race to be fit for the World Cup in Qatar, football.london understands.
James is understood to have undergone further scans and they have revealed the extent of the injury is worse than initially hoped. A decision by Chelsea's medical team has yet to be taken as to whether the 22-year-old will require surgery but with the World Cup in Qatar beginning in just over a month’s time, his place in the England squad is under threat.
Meanwhile, N'Golo Kante and Wesley Fofana are still unavailable following their respective injury issues. Hakim Ziyech missed the trip to Milan as he was unwell, whether he is back ready to return on Sunday remains to be seen.
Elsewhere, Kepa Arrizabalaga seems to have solidified his place in the starting lineup ahead of Edouard Mendy.
With that all in mind, let's take a look at two ways Potter could lineup against Villa.
James out, Azpilicueta in
James was subbed off after his injury in Italy and replaced by club captain Cesar Azpilicueta. With the team in good form, perhaps a straight swap for the two is the only change Potter needs to make.
Potential starting XI (3-4-2-1): Arrizabalaga; Koulibaly, Silva, Chalobah; Azpilicueta, Jorginho, Kovacic, Chilwell; Sterling, Mount; Aubameyang.
Wholesale changes
Potter may look to refresh his squad ahead of a difficult game in midweek. That would involve swapping a number of players.
Potential starting XI (3-4-2-1): Arrizabalaga; Koulibaly, Silva, Chalobah; Azpilicueta, Loftus-Cheek, Kovacic, Cucurella; Havertz, Mount; Aubameyang.
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