Chelsea v Aston Villa - Match preview
Unai Emery has challenged Villa’s players to maintain their fight on three fronts over the second half of the season and declared: “I don’t want to waste a match.”
The head coach is expected to name his strongest possible line-up at Chelsea tonight as Villa look to progress to the fifth round of the FA Cup for the first time since they reached the final in 2015.
It is a fixture which kicks off what promises to be a hectic second half of the season for Villa, who are also in the Premier League title race and through to the last-16 of the Europa Conference League.
Emery this week told his players they could play up to 30 matches between now and the end of May if they go the distance in both cup competitions and though Villa’s injury list remains lengthy, the boss is demanding no let-up.
“I want to be a contender in the FA Cup,” he said. “On Friday, we will play with the best players we have, being focused on this match.
“I don’t want to waste one match not being competitive and trying to improve. This is the first opportunity we will face.”
