Aston Villa take on Chelsea in the Premier League in today’s late kick-off, with both sides looking to consolidate their bids for European football next season.

Villa’s midweek draw with Liverpool means that they entered the weekend in ninth, but only five points behind fourth-placed Manchester City.

And they face a Chelsea side who have stuttered in recent weeks to fall from second to sixth.

The Blues still have the advantage in the race for the top four – as they sit just a point below City – but the lead over Villa could be cut to just a point if they were to lose, with Enzo Maresca’s side in danger of falling out of the race on current form.

18:27 , Chris Wilson

18:23 , Chris Wilson

45 +5mins

Nothing comes of the free-kick but Villa keep possession. Cash delivers a long throw-in and it falls to McGinn, who blazes over a half-volley.

The referee blows the whistle and Chelsea go in ahead at the break!

18:22 , Chris Wilson

45 +4mins

Villa are still looking for an equaliser as half-time approaches, though they can’t fashion a clear-cut chance.

Tielemans wins free-kick midway into the Chelsea half as he’s caught by Caicedo.

18:19 , Chris Wilson

45 +2 mins

Great running from Ramsey but Cash wastes the chance as his cross goes straight into the gloves of Jorgensen.

18:18 , Chris Wilson

45 mins

There’ll be six minutes of added time here. Cash looks okay to carry on.

Chelsea almost fashion a great chance as James slips in a brilliant through ball to Gusto, whose ball across goal almost reaches Palmer before Martinez pounces.

18:16 , Chris Wilson

44 mins

Cash is down after falling heavily, and he’s receiving treatment, so there's a break in play.

18:14 , Chris Wilson

42 mins

Chelsea win a corner as Cucurella’s cross is turned behind, but nothing comes of the set-piece.

18:11 , Chris Wilson

40 mins

Villa are dominating possession at the moment, though Chelsea look happy to let them have it for now, confident in their ability to counter.

McGinn is lucky to avoid a booking as he bundles over James near halfway.

18:09 , Chris Wilson

38 mins

A Chelsea attack ends with Nkunku cutting back inside and testing Martinez with a curled effort. The Argentine is equal to it though.

18:07 , Chris Wilson

36 mins

Reece James gives it away straight to Watkins in his own half. The England striker is isolated and the angle is against him, and he can only rifle an effort into the side-netting.

18:05 , Chris Wilson

33 mins

A small lull in activity at the moment as Chelsea try to slow the game down.

Maatsen and Ramsey exchange passes for the former to burst into the box, but there are too many bodies surrounding him and he backheels it straight to a Chelsea shirt.

18:02 , Chris Wilson

31 mins

It’s end-to-end now, with Watkins narrowly missing an opportunity to play in Ramsey, who would’ve been 1-v-1.

18:02 , Chris Wilson

29 mins

Chelsea were dominating possession but Ramsey nicks it back suddenly, before Tielemans is forced to dribble wide and sees his cross cleared.

Villa come again though, and the cross is in towards the near post but Jorgensen diverts it away from Watkins.

At the other end, Palmer sees a shot deflected and it rolls into the side-netting.

17:57 , Chris Wilson

26 mins

CLOSE! A good effort from Fernandez.

Nkunku wins the ball off Cash near the Villa box and it’s played to Fernandez, who opens his body up and curls an effort onto the top of the net!

17:56 , Chris Wilson

25 mins

Villa win a free-kick in a dangerous area after Caicedo clips Rogers.

It’ll be Asensio to swing it in – but someone is offside and the chance goes begging.

17:53 , Chris Wilson

22 mins

Another chance for Watkins, as Villa work it from the left before it comes to the striker near the centre of the box, but Cucurella blocks his shot brilliantly.

17:52 , Chris Wilson

20 mins

Another chance, but this time it’s Villa’s first of the match as the ball is swept forward before it’s laid off to Watkins in the box. The angle is tight and his low strike forces a save from Jorgensen at the near post.

17:50

17 mins

Another chance for Chelsea as Palmer swings in a great diagonal cross that Nkunku nods on, but Fernandez can’t get a touch on it at the back post.

17:47 , Chris Wilson

14 mins

Plenty of frustration among the home crowd, as their side really haven’t got going yet.

They have enjoyed a little more sustained possession over the last few minutes though.

17:43 , Chris Wilson

12 mins

Despite Sky’s team graphic, it looks like Reece James is actually playing in defensive midfield, with Palmer on the right and Enzo Fernandez playing in attacking midfield behind Nkunku. That decision has certainly paid off early on for Maresca.

17:43 , Chris Wilson

11 mins

Another chance for Chelsea is ended after a brilliant last-second intervention from Mings, who pokes the ball away from Nkunku as he was about to shoot.

17:41 , Chris Wilson

9 mins

It’s been all Chelsea and they have their early reward!

Neto picks the ball up near halfway and he surges into the box, beating Maatsen before firing in a ball across goal that gives Enzo Fernandez an easy tap-in into an open net!

17:39 , Chris Wilson

7 mins

Chalobah is down briefly as he receives treatment. He’ll be unable to carry on, and he’s replaced by Tosin.

17:37 , Chris Wilson

5 mins

It’s been all Chelsea so far, with the visitors almost working another shooting chance in the Villa box.

A positive start from Enzo Maresca’s side.

17:34 , Chris Wilson

3 mins

Another half-chance for Chelsea as Fernandez surges towards the box and slips in a pass for Neto, but his shot is blocked by a lunging Konsa. Good play from the England man.

17:33 , Chris Wilson

1 min

Almost an early chance for the visitors as the through ball almost reaches Nkunku, but Martinez is quick off his line.

According to Sky, it is actually a back four for Chelsea, with Reece James playing in the right wing position. An interesting experiment from Maresca then.

17:32 , Chris Wilson

We’re underway at Villa Park! Can Chelsea get the three points to get back on track, or will Villa more within a point of the visitors?

17:25 , Chris Wilson

Both sides are in the tunnel at Villa Park, so we’re not far from kick-off now.

17:20 , Chris Wilson

17:15 , Chris Wilson

Of course, one of the most important factors in the race for the top four (or five) is the spending power that Champions League qualification affords a club.

Qualification alone netted clubs almost €20m this season, while Chelsea’s victory in the 2021 edition was said to have earned the club around €120m in prize money alone.

It is still clear that the Chelsea squad needs more investment.

Some positions clearly require more quality, while others simply need experience or back-up options, whether that be a better alternative to Reece James or an experienced centre-back to help the development of Fofana and Levi Colwill.

The club’s policy of signing young players has backfired somewhat this season, and there will likely come a point when the club have to break with their recent policy and instead capture players who are closer to, if not already in, the prime of their careers.

Ahead of the 2025/26 season, the hierarchy’s main job is to convert Chelsea from a Champions League side to one that is capable of mounting a full title charge.

17:10 , Chris Wilson

The two sides have faced off 157 times in the past, with Chelsea winning 66 and Villa having won 55. 36 have ended as draws.

Villa failed to win any of their four meetings with Chelsea in 2024, drawing two and losing two.

17:05 , Chris Wilson

no matter what Maresca says in public, he would likely regard it as a failure if Chelsea were not able to qualify for the Champions League next season.

The Italian openly said that his side “are going to try our best to finish where this club belongs, back in the Champions League”, and they still possess a two-point lead over their nearest rivals for a top-four spot – Manchester City and Newcastle.

Perhaps most importantly, clubs may not need a top-four finish to qualify for the Champions League this season, with fifth-place likely to qualify for next season’s tournament.

So fans can expect a tight battle for the top five – with City, Newcastle, Bournemouth and maybe even Aston Villa in the mix – with the Blues enjoying the early advantage ahead of facing both Villa and Newcastle in their last 14 fixtures.

17:00 , Chris Wilson

Villa have won just two of their last 11 top-flight home games with Chelsea (D2, L7), beating them 1-0 in March 2014 and 2-1 in May 2021.

16:55 , Chris Wilson

As Chelsea’s form has slid in recent weeks, Maresca has repeatedly been optimistic in his press conferences. The Italian has claimed that Chelsea are ahead of his expectations in terms of performances and league position, and this would certainly have been true before the New Year.

In addition, the future looks bright for a club who have repeatedly fielded the youngest starting elevens in the division. However, the nature of his side’s recent drop in form will concern Maresca.

The 45-year-old has come under criticism in recent weeks for his in-game management, and his tactics have occasionally been criticised too.

But it is worth pointing out that at times, Maresca has not been left with brilliant options in his squad.

For example, even a mis-firing Nicolas Jackson is probably a better choice at striker than 19-year-old Marc Guiu or Christopher Nkunku, who Maresca said “is not a nine – he is an attacking midfielder”.

Similar problems persist in other areas of the squad, from a general lack of experience to the mistakes of goalkeeper Robert Sanchez and injuries to Reece James, Wesley Fofana and Romeo Lavia.

16:45 , Chris Wilson

Chelsea now know their potential route to the Conference League final after the draw for the next rounds of the competition took place in Switzerland.

What started off as a brilliant campaign for the Blues has quickly tailed off into a mixed run of form that has seen them drop out of both domestic cup competitions as well as the Premier League top four.

Nevertheless, their form in Europe has been imperious, with Enzo Maresca’s side winning all six of their league phase games and scoring 26 goals in the process.

They are overwhelming favourites to win the third-tier tournament and would become the first side to triumph in all three of Uefa’s main competitions should they do so. A place in next season’s Europa League is also up for grabs as added incentive.

Chelsea’s route to Conference League final revealed

16:35 , Chris Wilson

Aston Villa failed to win any of their four meetings with Chelsea in 2024, drawing two and losing two of those league and cup fixtures.

The Blues have won 13 Premier League games at Villa Park, only winning more at Southampton and Tottenham, where they have 15 and 16 victories respectively.

16:28 , Chris Wilson

Maresca has made just one change to the side that lost 3-0 to Brighton last week, with Reece James returning in place of the injured Noni Madueke.

It looks like the Blues are setting up in a back five of some sort, with Malo Gusto and Marc Cucurella as the wing-backs.

16:22 , Chris Wilson

Unai Emery has made four changes to the side that drew 2-2 to Liverpool last week.

Three changes are in defence, with Matty Cash and Ezri Konsa returning from injury to replace Andres Garcia and Axel Disasi. In addition, Ian Maatsen comes in for Lucas Digne at left-back.

In the forward line, Marcus Rashford drops out in favour of Jacob Ramsey.

16:18 , Chris Wilson

Aston Villa XI: Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Mings, Maatsen; McGinn, Tielemans; Rogers, Asensio, Ramsey; Watkins.

Subs: Olsen, Zych, Digne, Garcia, Bogarde, Bailey, Malen, Rashford, Jimoh-Aloba.

Chelsea XI: Jorgensen; Gusto, James, Chalobah, Colwill, Cucurella; Caicedo, Fernandez; Palmer, Neto; Nkunku.

Subs: Sanchez, Acheampong, Tosin, Samuels-Smith, Amougou, Dewsbury-Hall, Sancho, George, Mhueka.

16:10 , Chris Wilson

The line-ups should be announced in the next five minutes, so here’s a recap of the early team news.

For Villa, Axel Disasi is unavailable to face his parent club, so Lamare Bogarde may provide cover, though Emery did say that Ezri Konsa could be fit enough to return to the squad.

Ross Barkley is also nearing a return, though this match could come a week too early, while Leon Bailey should be fit for this game.

Amadou Onana is still a couple of weeks away from a return, as is Boubacar Kamara, while Pau Torres is expected to start training again in a couple of weeks.

Enzo Maresca had one new injury concern after the loss to Brighton, with Noni Madueke being forced off in that match. He will likely miss a few weeks with a hamstring issue.

While Malo Gusto was also subbed in that loss, Maresca later said he was okay, so he should be fit.

16:05 , Jamie Braidwood

Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca called an all-staff meeting in the club's canteen to impress upon his struggling side the work being done for them behind the scenes.

"There are many people behind the scenes that work every day. I said to the players in that meeting, when I arrive here every morning at seven there are people from the kitchen cutting fruit. There are people behind you that you cannot see that are working every day to help you reach the target.

"I tried to convince them that there are people behind them working hard and we need to push all together.

"Kitchen people, groundsmen, kitmen. I asked them to push until the end because our target is to bring this club in the Champions League."

15:45 , Jamie Braidwood

Villa were drawn against Club Brugge in the Champions League last 16 and Unai Emery is hoping for revenge after they were beaten 1-0 in Belgium in the league phase.

"Happy we are in the last 16 and happy with the draw, but every team that are in the last 16, they deserve to be there," Emery said.

"Of course, we played against Brugge and we knew their capacity to compete like they are doing usually. They beat Atalanta as well.

"Losing there 1-0, of course, is good information for us, how we have to compete, to respect, to prepare, to try to avoid the mistakes we made.

"But really happy, because we are going to enjoy this moment with our supporters, and we are going to compete when it's arriving, but now we have to focus (on) Chelsea."

15:25 , Jamie Braidwood

Ollie Watkins believes the arrival of Marcus Rashford and Marco Asensio to Aston Villa will pay big dividends.

Watkins scored his 12th Premier League goal of the season in Wednesday’s 2-2 draw with Liverpool – a game in which Rashford and Asensio made their first starts, after arriving in January.

The pair have added an extra dimension to Villa’s attack in recent matches and Watkins is looking forward to cashing in.

“It is nice playing with quality players and I am sure in the future games I will get more opportunities,” he said after the match.

“They haven’t had that long to show what they can do and they are still finding their feet.

“When they get a few games under their belt I am sure it will flow and connect together nicely.”

15:05 , Jamie Braidwood

Enzo Maresca is enduring the toughest spell of his tenure with the team on a run of two wins from nine in the league, having been second and two points off the summit on December 22.

The performance in losing 3-0 to Brighton last time out was one of their poorest of the campaign and left them trailing fourth-placed Manchester City by a point.

"I've been clear since day one," said Maresca. "I'm not here to survive, I'm here to win games. I'm here to bring this club to fight for titles.

"The problem is that when you win games you look humble, and when you don't win you look like a lack of ambition.

"I'm ambitious. The club is ambitious. We have the same manager and same players and same sporting director as two months ago when we were second in the league.

"Nothing has changed, only unfortunately that we are dealing with many injuries. This has affected the level of the team."

14:45 , Jamie Braidwood

"We have 13 games to go and seven of them are at home," said Maresca. "I think that winning the seven at home can be enough to finish top four.

"We've spent almost our season in the top four. Now we have just 13 games to go, so now the target for us is to finish top four, to try to finish in the best way.

"The difficult moment that we have now is probably because of the injury situation. We have five, six players that are significant players that are out.

"I watched again the first game against Villa (a 3-0 win in December) and we have five players probably that are out. The team has changed completely."

14:30 , Jamie Braidwood

Aston Villa boss Unai Emery enjoyed his side’s performance in the 2-2 draw against Liverpool on Wednesday but accepted that inconsistency could cost them in their pursuit if Champions League qualification.

“We competed very well, but we are in the process, we want to get stronger in the Premier League, even playing against some teams who are better than us,” Emery said.

“Liverpool is the best team in the Premier League and Champions League but we competed. We were close to get the victory, but I think the result was fair for both teams because they had chances, and we had chances at the end of the match.

“I have to accept it, this draw is adding one point in the table, not being enough, but we have to keep going, positively as well, improving with the players that joined us.”

14:15 , Jamie Braidwood

Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca has set his players a clear target to win their seven remaining home games and ensure a return to the Champions League.

The 45-year-old has been wary of committing himself by speaking publicly about aims for the season, but with the team having spent most of the campaign in the top four, he has made his expectations clear.

Of the sides still to visit Stamford Bridge this season, six are currently in the bottom half of the Premier League, with leaders Liverpool the exception.

The team have only the division's seventh-best home record this campaign having won six of their 12 games so far, losing twice.

Chelsea set clear target as Enzo Maresca declares Champions League ambition

14:04 , Chris Wilson

Enzo Maresca had one new injury concern after the loss to Brighton, with Noni Madueke being forced off in that match. He will likely miss a few weeks with a hamstring issue.

While Malo Gusto was also subbed in that loss, Maresca later said he was okay, so he should be fit.

Nicolas Jackson remains the most recent long-term lay-off, with the striker out until at least the end of the March international break.

All of Marc Guiu, Benoit Badiashile and Romeo Lavia are out for unspecified periods, while Wesley Fofana remains the main long-term absentee.

14:03 , Chris Wilson

For Villa, Axel Disasi is unavailable to face his parent club, so Lamare Bogarde may provide cover, though Emery did say that Ezri Konsa could be fit enough to return to the squad.

Ross Barkley is also nearing a return, though this match could come a week too early, while Leon Bailey should be fit for this game.

Amadou Onana is still a couple of weeks away from a return, as is Boubacar Kamara, while Pau Torres is expected to start training again in a couple of weeks.

14:02 , Chris Wilson

The match kicks off at 5.30pm GMT on Saturday, 22 February at Villa Park.

How can I watch the match?

The match will be shown live in the UK on Sky Sports Premier League and Main Event, with coverage starting at 5pm.

If you’re not a Sky customer, you can grab a NOWTV Day Pass to watch without a subscription.

14:01 , Chris Wilson

Aston Villa face Chelsea in the Premier League’s late kick-off today, with both sides still firmly in the hunt for Champions League football.

While Villa’s draw to Liverpool in midweek was a good result, it left Unai Emery’s side in ninth with 39 points, four below Chelsea and five off fourth-placed Manchester City.

Though Villa will fancy their chances of achieving European football, a win today is vital for any hopes of cracking the top five.

And they face a Chelsea side who have endured a poor run of form since December, falling from second to sixth, with last weekend’s disappointing 3-0 loss to Brighton meaning that the Blues face their own fight to secure a Champions League place that looked set in stone just a couple of months ago.

14:00 , Chris Wilson

Good afternoon and welcome to The Independent’s live coverage of today’s Premier League match between Aston Villa and Chelsea.

The match sees both sides continue their hunt for European football, with Villa sitting four points behind the Blues ahead of kick-off.

A win for either side could be key for securing Champions League football, with Chelsea just a point behind fourth-placed Manchester City.