Mauricio Pochettino has been dealt a major injury boost ahead of Chelsea's clash against Aston Villa. Unai Emery will welcome the Blues to Villa Park on Saturday afternoon as either side hopes to climb the Premier League table.
Chelsea will be determined to return to winning ways following back-to-back defeats to Manchester City in the FA Cup semi-final and Arsenal at the weekend. While the west London outfit are six points adrift of Manchester United in sixth, they've got a game in hand – which could prove pivotal by the end of the season.
As for Aston Villa, they enjoyed a 3-1 win over Bournemouth last time out, extending their advantage over Tottenham Hotspur in the race for Champions League qualification. Ange Postecoglou's side has two games in hand, with three of their remaining six games are against the title challengers.
With that being said, there's certainly a lot to play for this weekend, and Pochettino will be hoping to field his strongest side. Despite missing the Arsenal clash due to illness, Cole Palmer could very well return to the starting lineup.
On Thursday afternoon, the 21-year-old midfielder posed for a picture with a Chelsea supporter, who goes by @ChelseaFanTVyt on X, at Cobham. Palmer was kitted out in his training gear and looked as if he had just been put through his paces.
For now, it remains to be seen whether or not he'll be available for selection this weekend, but Pochettino will be expected to issue an update in his pre-match press conference on Friday. Palmer's potential return comes as a major boost for Chelsea, who suffered an embarrassing defeat to the Gunners.
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