Chelsea predicted lineup vs Aston Villa - Premier League

Graham Potter has faced Aston Villa more often than any English club in his managerial career (ten times)
Graham Potter has faced Aston Villa more often than any English club in his managerial career (ten times) / Harriet Lander/GettyImages
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Chelsea travel to the west Midlands to face Aston Villa in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon.

After a 1-1 draw to steady himself with a familiar result in his new surroundings, Graham Potter has won his last four matches on the spin as Chelsea manager. During three years in charge of Brighton, Potter never recorded more than three consecutive victories.

Here's the XI the 47-year-old may deploy to earn a fifth straight win for the first time since he was at the helm of Ostersunds in 2017.


1. Chelsea XI (4-2-3-1)

Mason Mount
Mason Mount has created five goals for Chelsea this season but is yet to score himself / Emilio Andreoli/GettyImages

GK: Kepa Arrizabalaga - The former Athletic Club keeper was on the bench when the Basque outfit faced Potter's Ostersunds in the 2017 Europa League - though Kepa has admitted he didn't realise his current boss was in charge back then.

RB: Cesar Azpilicueta - Potter is the 11th different individual to prowl the technical area while Azpilicueta invariably delivered a steady showing for Chelsea.

CB: Trevoh Chalobah - Across his 28 starts in all competitions for Chelsea, Chalobah is yet to be beaten inside 90 minutes (W19 D9).

CB: Kalidou Koulibaly - The charitable giant once handed a homeless child he bumped into in a supermarket car park a €500 note (how he managed to break that hefty bill is unclear).

LB: Marc Cucurella - Thomas Tuchel had supposedly followed Cucurella's career since his days in Barcelona's academy but Potter will be well aware of the talents the left-back brings after a year together on the south coast.

CM: Ruben Loftus-Cheek - The academy graduate has been at Chelsea since the age of eight.

CM: Jorginho - The Italian spot-kick specialist sunk two efforts from 12 yards the last time Chelsea faced Aston Villa on Boxing Day.

AM: Kai Havertz - Chelsea's misfiring frontman hasn't scored a goal away from home since early April but could be the beneficiary of Potter's rotation policy once again.

RW: Mason Mount - Despite playing just 45 minutes, Mount was officially dubbed player of the match during Chelsea's victorious trip to San Siro - and got a rest ahead of the weekend action.

ST: Armando Broja - The son of a swimming pool installer bagged his first goal for Chelsea last weekend on his father's 48th birthday.

LW: Christian Pulisic - The Hershey Hare, the Pennsylvania Pele, Captain America. Pulisic has a lot of nicknames but the first he got from his dad was inspired by his favourite player growing up, Figo.