Aston Villa faces Chelsea in a crucial Premier League match this Saturday at Villa Park.
Despite progress in the UEFA Champions League and the FA Cup, Villa has struggled in the domestic league. Unai Emery’s side is winless in the last five league matches, including a 0-2 defeat to the Wolves, and has slipped to ninth in the standings.
Chelsea’s form has also dipped in the last few matches, as they have registered just three victories in their last 10 matches across all competitions. A 0-3 defeat against Brighton last time out, took their tally to two wins in the last nine matches.
The Sporting News looks at the key details ahead of this game, including how to watch the match, kickoff times and the latest lineup news.
Aston Villa vs. Chelsea live stream, TV channel
Here’s how to watch this Premier League match in the U.S.:
TV channel: NBC
Live stream: Fubo
This game is available for live TV broadcast in the United States on NBC. Streaming options are available on Fubo.
Fubo offers a free trial for new subscribers so you can try the service before you buy.
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What time does Aston Villa vs. Chelsea kick off?
This Premier League clash takes place at the Villa Park in Birmingham, United Kingdom and kicks off on Saturday, February 22 at 5:30 p.m. local time.
Here’s how that time translates across the U.S.:
| Date | Kickoff time | |
| Eastern Time | Sat, Feb. 22 | 12:30 p.m. |
| Central Time | Sat, Feb. 22 | 11:30 a.m. |
| Mountain Time | Sat, Feb. 22 | 10:30 a.m. |
| Pacific Time | Sat, Feb. 22 | 9:30 a.m. |
Aston Villa vs. Chelsea lineups, team news
Many of the injured Aston Villa players are expected back in the squad soon, if not for this match.
After Matty Cash returned from injury to see minutes off the bench against Liverpool on Wednesday, three others with a chance to return this weekend are Ezri Konsa, Leon Bailey, and Ross Barkley.
Boubacar Kamara also missed the midweek match, and while he’s close to a return (“not a lot” according to Unai Emery), it likely won’t come here. Amadou Onana is down for a few weeks with a hamstring injury, but Emery was unclear whether it will be a short recovery or closer to a month on the shelf.
Aston Villa predicted XI (4-2-3-1, right to left): E. Martinez (GK) — A. Garcia, Disasi, Mings, Digne — McGinn, Tielemans — Rogers, Asensio, Malen — Watkins.
Injured: Konsa (muscle, doubt), Bailey (knock, doubt), Barkley (calf, doubt), Kamara (muscle), Onana (hamstring), P. Torres (foot).
Suspended: None
Chelsea are scrambling at striker after long-term injuries to Nicolas Jackson and Marc Guiu, leaving the struggling Christopher Nkunku to man the position.
Those two are far from it, however, as the Blues are struggling with a lengthy injury list. Noni Madueke suffered a hamstring injury this week and is out for significant time, joining Romeo Lavia, Wesley Fofana, and Benoit Badiashile on the shelf.
The question for this match is whether Malo Gusto is fit to play, a doubt to participate with a knock after being withdrawn midway through the second half of the last match.
Chelsea predicted XI (4-2-3-1, right to left): Jorgensen (GK) — James, Chalobah, Colwill, Cucurella — Caicedo, E. Fernandez — Sancho, Palmer, Neto — Nkunku.
Injured: Jackson (hamstring), Guiu (hamstring), Madueke (hamstring), Lavia (thigh), W. Fofana (thigh), Badiashile (thigh).
Suspended: Mudryk (doping).
Premier League fixture schedule this week
All times ET
Saturday, February 22
- Everton vs. Manchester United (7:30 a.m.)
- AFC Bournemouth vs. Wolverhampton Wanderers (10:00 a.m.)
- Arsenal vs. West Ham United (10:00 a.m.)
- Fulham vs. Crystal Palace (10:00 a.m.)
- Ipswich Town vs. Tottenham Hotspur (10:00 a.m.)
- Southampton vs. Brighton & Hove Albion (10:00 a.m.)
- Aston Villa vs. Chelsea (12:30 p.m.)
Sunday, February 23
- Newcastle United vs. Nottingham Forest (9:00 a.m.)
- Manchester City vs. Liverpool (11:30 a.m.)
