Chelsea vs. Aston Villa: Prediction, Live stream, kick-off time and TV Matchday 4 of Premier League 2021/2022

Chelsea will seek to continue their impressive run of form in the English Premier League when they welcome Aston Villa to the Stamford Bridge on Saturday 11th September for their Matchday 4 fixture. The Chelsea Vs. Aston Villa match is set for the late kick-off and thus will be played at 2:30 pm ET. 

The Blues have had a strong start to the season as they try to wrestle the Premier League title from Manchester City. In Matchday 1, they opened the season's account with a commanding 3-0 victory over Crystal Palace before taking in another London derby against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium and winning by 2 unreplied goals. Chelsea hung on to pick a 1-1 draw at the Anfield Stadium on Matchday 3 after Kai Havertz put the Blues in the lead but Reece James got a red card and conceded a penalty that Mohamed Salah tucked away. Chelsea sits 4th on the table with7 points from the first 3 matches.

What is the likely Chelsea Line-up against Aston Villa?

When Chelsea plays against the Villans on September 11, Eduoard Mendy is certain to be in goal. Thomas Tuchel has favoured a back three this season so we expect to see the trio of Andreas Christensen, Antonio Ruediger and either Cesar Azpilicueta or Trevoh Chalobah taking up the central defensive positions. 

After receiving a red card in Matchday 3 against Liverpool, Reece James will be unavailable for selection and either Cesar Azpilicueta or Callum Hudson-Odoi would be moved to occupy the right wing-back position. On the left-wing, Marcus Alonso would be expected to start, still keeping out Ben Chilwell from the first team. Ngolo Kante's injury against Liverpool might rule him out of this, effectively handing new signing, Saul Niguez the chance to make his debut for the club. Either Saul or Mateo Kovacic would partner Jorginho in the middle of the park.

Further forward, the attack slots would depend on Thomas Tuchel and perhaps the international break too. Going from the last 2 matches, Romelu Lukaku and Mason Mount are a shoo-in for two of the slots with Christian Pulisic, Timo Werner, Kai Havertz, and Hakimi Ziyech left to struggle for the remaining attacking berth. 

How has Aston Villa done after Jack Grealish departure?

The Dean Smith-led side has had to cope with losing their talisman, Jack Grealish. Villa received £100m for the transfer of the English international and have reinvested in the squad by signing Emiliano Buendia from Norwich City, Danny Ings and Axel Tuanzebe from Manchester United. 

In the 3 matches they've played so far, they've had mixed fortunes, losing to 3-2 away to Watford, winning 2-0 at home against Newcastle and playing out a 1-1 draw against new-boys Brentford. They have now picked up 4 points from a possible 9. 

Who are the match winners for Chelsea and what is the match prediction?

Chelsea's new £98m striker, Romelu Lukaku would be expected to add to his tally for Chelsea in this match. His strong running, hold-up play and sharp finishing should pose enough danger to a centre-back pairing of Tuanzebe and Konsa. Lukaku is the main danger man for Chelsea.

Also, the smart movement of Kai Havertz will be key to unlocking an expected tight backline of Aston Villa. Fresh off scoring against Liverpool, Havertz will be high on confidence. The midfield duo of Jorginho and Saul/Kovacic also needs to be alert to nullify the threat of Buendia and/or El-Ghazi in the Villa creative department. 

In all, Chelsea is expected to win this game easily with a predicted scoreline of 2 - 0.