Aston Villa welcome Chelsea to Villa Park on Saturday night as they look to take another three points in the race for Champions League football.
Unai Emery has ended any speculation on his future by signing a new contract at the midlands club this week in a move that will delight fans.
Villa are flying and look favourites to secure fourth spot in the Premier League ahead of Tottenham Hotspur, particularly when you consider the form of striker Ollie Watkins.
The beauty for the Villans is that despite his hot streak they are not overly reliant on Watkins, with the likes of Moussa Diaby, Leon Bailey and Morgan Rogers all chipping in with goals and assists.
The same cannot be said of Chelsea, who rely almost entirely on their talisman, Cole Palmer, and manager Mauricio Pochettino has hinted at whether the 21-year-old will line up against Villa on Saturday.
Cole Palmer unlikely to face Aston Villa
Palmer was absent for Chelsea’s humbling 5-0 defeat to Arsenal in midweek, with the former Manchester City man reporting ill.
With 20 goals and nine assists in the Premier League this season, the youngster has far exceeded any expectations when he made the £40 million move to Chelsea in the summer.
Whilst those around him have underperformed miserably, Palmer has been a beacon of hope for the Blues and Villa will not have been relishing the task of trying to stop the man in form.
However, Pochettino’s latest update suggests that Emery may not have to worry about Palmer, as when asked about whether Palmer will be involved the Argentine responded:
“Today [training], no. We need to assess him tomorrow morning. But today, no, I don’t believe he can be involved, but we need to assess him tomorrow and then we can decide.
“Even if he will be good tomorrow, maybe he is not in a condition to play. I hope he can recover from this situation as soon as possible and be involved again with the team.”
Palmer and Watkins in race for Premier League Golden Boot
Whilst Palmer missing out would be good news for Villa collectively, it could also be viewed positively by a certain player for selfish reasons.
That man is Watkins, who finds himself one league goal behind the Chelsea man.
Palmer is currently joint top of the Premier League scoring charts with Erling Haaland, on 20; the fact the England international leads the Norwegian on assists giving him the edge in the race.
Whilst it should not detract from the achievement, 11 of Palmer’s goals have been penalties, whilst remarkably not a single one of Watkins’ 19 strikes has come from the spot.
Such is the nature of strikers, Watkins will have his eyes fixed firmly on the prize of the league’s Golden Boot award, with Villa’s chances of accomplishing their targets only helped if he does manage to score more goals.
With the form he is in, it would come as no surprise to see the 28-year-old leapfrog Palmer’s goalscoring efforts on Saturday night.
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