For Chelsea team captain Reece James, the injury woes continue on, yet again. His latest hamstring problem means he’ll likely miss out on the visit from Aston Villa while forward Christopher Nkunku faces a late fitness tomorrow. Nkunku suffered a knock of some sort in the UEFA Europa Conference League win on Thursday, meaning if he can’t go, then Nicolas Jackson will get the nod up top.
Omari Kellyman (although he likely wouldn’t play here anyway) remains out for the Blues.
Chelsea FC vs Aston Villa FYIs
Kickoff: Sun. Dec. 1, 1:30pm, Stamford Bridge, London, UK
Preview Material for Both Sides: Team News Starting XI Predictions
PL Position, Form: Chelsea 5th, 22 pts, LWDDW Aston Villa 8th, 19 pts, WDLLD
Google Result Probability: Chelsea 57% Draw 22% Aston Villa 21%
Aston Villa Team News
Now that we covered the hosts, let’s get to the visitors. Amadou Onana could be passed fit to feature here while Boubacar Kamara is still working his way back into the mix.
Former Chelsea man Ross Barkley is likely to be available here, to feature against his ex-teammates (if there are any at this point!) while Jacob Ramsey definitely will not.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network, the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America and RG. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter.