We simulated Aston Villa vs Chelsea as the Blues' hunt for a European spot continues

After a humbling defeat against London rivals Arsenal, Chelsea will be looking to return to winning ways when they take on Aston Villa later today.

Just a week after their 6-0 battering of Everton, Chelsea fell to a 5-0 loss away to Arsenal in their last Premier League outing, with the result handing Mauricio Pochettino's side a blow in their chase for European football next season. The Blues do have games in hand on the teams around them in the table, but they need to start picking up the points needed, starting with a trip to Aston Villa.

Three points is just as vital to Villa, with Unai Emery's side looking to finish in the Premier League top-four this season. The last meeting between the two sides saw Chelsea win 3-1 at Villa Park in the FA Cup, with Conor Gallagher, Nicolas Jackson, and Enzo Fernandez getting on the scoresheet.

The latter has been ruled out for the season after undergoing surgery, while Raheem Sterling and Carney Chukwuemeka have both been added to Chelsea's ever-growing injury list. After missing the clash with Arsenal, Cole Palmer will return to the Blues' squad against Villa.

So, could Chelsea pick up a big three points at Villa Park? Let's take a look.

To complete this simulation, we used EA FC 24 and updated the squads with the latest injuries and suspensions.

We predict that Villa could set up in a 4-4-1-1 formation, with their line-up as follows: Martinez; Konsa, Carlos, Torres, Digne; Bailey, McGinn, Luiz, Rogers; Tielemans; Watkins.

We predict that Chelsea could line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with their starting XI as follows: Petrovic; Disasi, Chalobah, Silva, Cucurella; Caicedo, Gallagher; Madueke, Palmer, Mudryk; Jackson.

A bright opening 10 minutes saw Chelsea gain some early confidence,