Chelsea will be looking to bounce back from their draw against Everton when they return to Premier League action against Aston Villa on Saturday.
After two wins in the Premier League in a row, a late Ellis Simms strike saw Everton hold Chelsea to a 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge, leaving the Blues in 10th. Next up for Graham Potter's side is Aston Villa, and defeat for the Blues would see them drop below Villa and into the bottom half of the Premier League table.
The last meeting between the two sides ended as a 2-0 win for Chelsea, with Mason Mount scoring both goals at Villa Park. So, can Chelsea return to winning ways on Saturday?
READ MORE: What Graham Potter, Reece James and Marc Cucurella did before Aston Villa clash
We simulated the game to get a score prediction and this is what happened.
Chelsea vs Aston Villa simulated to get a score prediction
To complete this simulation, we used FIFA 23 and updated the squads with the latest injuries and suspensions.
We predict that the Blues could line up in a 3-4-3 formation, with their line-up as follows: Kepa; Chalobah, Koulibaly, Badiashile; James, Fernandez, Kovacic, Chilwell; Felix, Havertz, Mudryk.
We predict that Villa could set up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with their line-up as follows: Martinez; Young, Konsa, Mings, Digne; McGinn, Luiz; Bailey, Buendia, Ramsey; Watkins.
Aston Villa's Ollie Watkins nearly put his side a goal ahead after three minutes when his looping header beat Kepa, but Chelsea had the woodwork to thank as it only rattled the bar. After the early scare, Chelsea woke up, and they took the lead moments after through a fantastic Kai Havertz strike.
Joao Felix cut inside from the right before drifting past a few Villa bodies, single-handedly starting a Chelsea attack. Felix found Mateo Kovacic who picked out the run of Havertz, and one-on-one, the German produced an acute finish, chipping the 'keeper from close range to make it 1-0.
Kovacic was running the show in midfield, with the Croatian not only doing the dirty work but creating plenty of chances for his side. After getting the assist for the first, he then did the same for Chelsea's second, setting up Ben Chilwell in the 78th minute.
As substitute Noni Madueke drifted into the middle, space for Chilwell to penetrate opened up on the left, and Kovacic found the run of the defender with a perfect through ball. Chilwell surged towards goal along the byline, and from close range, his powerful strike ricocheted off the foot of Emiliano Martinez and into the net for Chelsea's second.
In the 92nd minute, Watkins capitalised on a slip from Kalidou Koulibaly to break through on goal, and the striker rounded Kepa before tapping into the net to halve the deficit. It was too little, too late for the visitors though, and Chelsea held on for the win.
FIFA 23 predicted final score: Chelsea 2-1 Aston Villa
FIFA 23 predicts that Chelsea could pick up a vital three points against Aston Villa, winning 2-1 in the simulation. Despite a late scare from Villa, it was a straightforward victory for the Blues, with Joao Felix and Mateo Kovacic impessing the most.
What do you think the final score will be? Let us know in the comments!
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