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2024/25 English Premier League
Matchday 13
Chelsea v Aston Villa
Stamford Bridge
London, England
Sunday, 1 December 2024
Kick-off is at 15h30
Chelsea will be keen to keep the momentum going in the
Premier League when they welcome out-of-sorts Aston Villa to Stamford Bridge on Sunday, December 1.
The Blues have lost just two of their opening 12 matches under Enzo Maresca - against Manchester City and Liverpool - and are unbeaten in their last four outings.
A 2-1 victory over Leicester at the King Power Stadium on November 23 kept Maresca's side above Arsenal (4th) and Brighton (5th) on goal difference, with the three teams still level on 22 points.
The West Londoners closed within a point of City, who suffered a third straight loss on matchday 12, while Liverpool extended their lead at the summit to eight points courtesy of a 3-2 win over Southampton.
Villa enjoyed a good start to the campaign, losing just one of their opening eight matches, but their form has dipped in the last month.
A 2-2 draw with struggling Crystal Palace at Villa Park on November 23 extended their winless run to four games and left Unai Emery's side in a three-way tie with Tottenham (6th) and Nottingham Forest (7th) in eighth spot.
The hosts have just one confirmed absentee in Omari Kellyman (thigh), with Levi Colwill, Malo Gusto (both illness), Pedro Neto and Reece James (thigh) expected to come back into contention.
The visitors will assess the fitness of Boubacar Kamara, Ezri Konsa (groin), Amadou Onana (ankle) and Jacob Ramsey (thigh) in the coming week.
Maresca reserved special praise for Nicolas Jackson, who worked tirelessly against the Foxes and was rewarded with his seventh goal in 12 appearances this season.
"For me he [Jackson] is doing very well. Since we started, he is working hard on and off the ball," the Italian said.
"He is making the effort. Sometimes we use him as a midfielder or attacking behind, it depends on the game plan. We are very happy with Nico with how he plays on the ball and especially off the ball. We are sure he will improve."
Emery felt the Villans merited more than a point against the Eagles and has urged his players to keep going in a bid to get out of this sticky patch.
"I think we deserved to win, but every team has very good tactics, very good game plans, like they had today," the Spaniard said.
"It was not enough. We had chances but in the end we have to accept it. We wanted to win here and we know last year we did a fantastic season when we finished fourth, but this season is being more difficult.
"We will keep going and try to be positive. With one point after the last result we had not being good, we have to accept it and keep going."
Head-to-Head (Last Five Premier League Meetings)
Matches - 5
Chelsea wins - 2
Aston Villa wins - 2
Draws - 1
Premier League Matchday 13 fixtures:
Friday, November 29
22h00: Brighton & Hove Albion v Southampton
Saturday, November 30
17h00: Brentford v Leicester City
17h00: Crystal Palace v Newcastle United
17h00: Nottingham Forest v Ipswich Town
17h00: Wolverhampton Wanderers v Bournemouth
19h30: West Ham United v Arsenal
Sunday, December 1
15h30: Chelsea v Aston Villa
15h30: Manchester United v Everton
15h30: Tottenham Hotspur v Fulham
18h00: Liverpool v Manchester City
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