Match Preview: Chelsea vs. Aston Villa

Chelsea's title credentials will be tested this weekend when Aston Villa come to town.

The Blues, who were knocked out of the UEFA Champions League by Inter Milan earlier this month, saw their Premier League quest stutter last weekend as Blackburn claimed a 1-1 draw at Ewood Park.

Carlo Ancelotti's side returned to winning ways with a 5-0 thumping of Portsmouth on Wednesday and the Italian boss will be hoping his side have turned a corner after suffering a blip in recent times.

Villa meanwhile, squandered the chance to close in on the much coveted fourth-place as Wolves and Sunderland travelled to Villa Park and walked away with a share of the spoils.

Martin O'Neill's side remain unbeaten in the league in 2010, but seven draws in their last 10 games has seriously hurt the Villains' hopes of grabbing the last Champions League qualification spot.

Villa, though, boast a good top-flight record against Chelsea and have already beaten the Pensioners when they met earlier in the season.

But O'Neill's small squad are beginning to feel the effects of a gruelling season which has already seen them reach the Carling Cup final and with an FA Cup semi-final against Saturday's opponents looming, the Northern Irishman may decide not to risk some of his fatigued performers at Stamford Bridge this weekend.

Gabriel Agbonlahor has been absent since the win over Wigan with a groin problem and remains doubtful for the Chelsea encounter, while fellow striker Emile Heskey could also miss the London trip with an Achilles problem picked up in Wednesday's 1-1 stalemate against the Black Cats.

That leaves O'Neill with youngster Nathan Delfouneso as the only recognised forward to partner in-form John Carew up front so the Villa boss may return to the 4-5-1 formation which he deployed at the start of his tenure.

Steve Sidwell could be the benefactor of that team-selection to face his former club, although the former Chelsea man may start regardless as James Milner is Villa's second player to suffer with an Achilles problem.

The midfielder has been in scintillating form this season and looks a shoe-in to make England's World Cup squad fitness permitting, but the former Newcastle man was forced off the field midweek and could be given a well-earned rest

Richard Dunne, who looked out-of-sorts in midweek against Sunderland, is another player suffering with a sore Achilles but the defender managed to play 90 minutes last time out and should line-up in the division's joint meanest rearguard.

Chelsea, meanwhile, are enduring their own injury crisis with Ricardo Carvalho the latest player to face a spell on the sidelines.

The Portuguese defender damaged his ankle in the Fratton Park mauling midweek and will find out whether he will miss the rest of the season from Friday's scans.

Carvalho joins the likes of Ashley Cole (ankle), Branislav Ivanovic, Jose Bosingwa (both knee), Michael Ballack (Achilles), and Henrique Hilario (groin) on the treatment table

That means Ancelotti's only has two recognised centre-halves in the shape of John Terry and Alex, while Paulo Ferreira will continue at right-back and Petr Cech will retain his place in goal after making his comeback from injury last time out.

Michael Essien's return remains unknown after the midfielder admitted to set-backs on his rehabilitation on his injured knee.

Essien has been missing since January and it is unclear whether the Ghana international will be able to recover in time for Chelsea's run-in.


Possible starting XIs:
Chelsea: Cech, Zhirkov, Alex, Terry, Ferreira, Malouda, Lampard, Mikel, J Cole, Anelka, Drogba.

Villa: Friedel, Warnock, Collins, Dunne, Cuellar, Downing, Petrov, Milner, Sidwell, A Young, Carew.

Drogba Shrugs Off Knee Injury

Didier Drogba expects to be fit for Chelsea's game against Aston Villa on Saturday after suffering a knee injury in the 5-0 win over Portsmouth.

The Ivory Coast striker took his goals tally for the season to 30 with a brace against Pompey on Wednesday evening, but hurt his knee in the process.

However, the 32-year-old is determined not to let the injury impact heavily on what he believes is his best season on a personal front.

Drogba, though, admits his impressive goals tally this term will count for nothing if Chelsea fail to lift a piece of silverware.

"Knowing that I am not taking the penalties and missed a few games, it is maybe the best season I've ever had," said Drogba.

"But it would be a poor season if I finished top scorer and Chelsea didn't win anything. Winning individual prizes is just a bonus.

"The knee is painful, but I think it's going to be alright."

Chelsea's title hopes have been revitalised following their victory over Portsmouth and Drogba now wants his team-mates to focus on the visit of Villa, rather than look ahead to next weekend's trip to leaders Manchester United.

"Aston Villa is a big, big game for us," he acknowledged. "We have to forget about this one (Portsmouth) and start to think about Aston Villa. We have to recover quickly and make sure we're going to be ready for the game.

"It's just important for us to try to keep this distance (one-point gap) so we go to Old Trafford with a lot of confidence and expect something good from the squad there.

"We have to concentrate on this game on Saturday and then we'll think about Manchester United. Both games are related. Let's do everything to win the first one and then we will have time to think about United.

"People have given us a lot of criticism recently, but I think they're fair because we haven't played at our level in the last few weeks.

"It's difficult when the team is playing so many matches for all of us to be on top of our game, on top of our fitness and right now we have a lot of injured players."

Carvalho Blow Rocks Blues

Chelsea defender Ricardo Carvalho is facing at least four weeks on the sidelines and could require surgery on damaged ankle ligaments.

The Portugal international suffered the injury in the first half of Wednesday night's 5-0 victory over Portsmouth at Fratton Park.

Centre-back Carvalho limped off the field in the 37th minute following a challenge with Aaron Mokoena, with burly Brazilian Alex taking his place alongside John Terry.

The former Porto player will now miss several key fixtures for the Blues as they chase Premier League and FA Cup glory.

Carlo Ancelotti will be without the talented defender for the crucial Premier League meetings with Aston Villa and Manchester United on the next two Saturdays.

Carvalho will also be absent when the Stamford Bridge side travel to Wembley on 10th April to tackle Villa in the FA Cup semi-final.

And he could be forced to go under the knife in a bid to cure the problem, with the club waiting to discover if an operation is needed, which could put his World Cup hopes in jeopardy.

A statement on the club's official website read: "Chelsea can confirm that Ricardo Carvalho suffered ankle ligament damage in last night's game against Portsmouth.

"The club will be able to determine over the next 24 hours whether the injury requires corrective surgery, however we can confirm at this point that he'll be out for at least four weeks."

Chelsea moved back to within one point of leaders United with Wednesday's thumping victory, while London rivals Arsenal are just one point further back in third.

Injury Uncertainty For Essien

Michael Essien has revealed that he remains uncertain when he can return from the knee injury that is also threatening to rule him out of the World Cup.

The Ghana international has not played for Chelsea since December and only made a couple of appearances for his country at the Africa Cup of Nations in January before being ruled out indefinitely.

Essien revealed that he had suffered a couple of setbacks in recent weeks and he is now unsure when he will be able to return to action.

"I was hoping to be available for the home game against Inter, but the healing has taken a bit longer because my knee kept swelling," Essien told his official blog.

"In two weeks I ended up having four lots of surgery to try and get the fluid away from the area. Finally it seems to be okay and I am making progress. I know I just have to be patient and give it time to settle down and heal."

Essien has watched Chelsea crash out of the Champions League and lose ground in the Premier League title race, but he remains calm about his future.

He added: "On a positive note I am feeling mentally strong and I try to stay philosophical about injuries.

"There are worse injuries than mine and there are people suffering with far more serious problems than this."

Didier Drogba Ready To Trade Top Scorer Award With Wayne Rooney For Premier League Title

Didier Drogba insists he will not have a problem with Manchester United forward Wayne Rooney taking the Premier League's top scorer honours if it means that Chelsea can pip their rivals to winning the league title.

Rooney currently leads the goal scoring charts in the top-flight, with 26 goals to his name. The Ivorian is hot on the heels of the England international, with 24 strikes.

"You know what, if I don't finish top scorer I won't mind... as long as we win the league," Drogba said, according to The Sun.

"I won the Golden Boot in 2007 and it would give me great pleasure to do it again but what is really important for me is the Premier League title.

"Football is a team sport," he insisted.

"It is nice to have individual honours but much better when you share the medals with your friends and team-mates.

"This season has been a long and difficult one.

"It would be a poor season if I finished top scorer but Chelsea didn't win a trophy."

Chelsea take on Manchester United in a potential title decider at Old Trafford on April 3.

Chelsea's Abramovich To Consider Russian FA Role

Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich would consider serving on the Russian FA's advisory board if he received a formal invitation, his spokesman said on Friday.

"We are aware of the proposal and when the formal invitation is extended Mr Abramovich will surely consider it," John Mann told Reuters.

New Russian FA (RFU) chief Sergei Fursenko recently met Abramovich in London to discuss, among other things, a more active role within the RFU.

Chelsea's billionaire owner has played a significant role in Russian soccer, mainly sponsoring a number of RFU's projects.

Until last year, the National Academy Fund, sponsored by Abramovich, was paying the 7-million euro ($9.33 million) salary of former Russia coach Guus Hiddink under an agreement with then RFU president Vitaly Mutko.

Several other Russian tycoons, including Spartak Moscow owner Leonid Fedun and Alisher Usmanov, who has a 26 percent stake in English Premier League club Arsenal, have also been mentioned as possible RFU's advisory board members.

Ancelotti - Euro Exit Could Help

Carlo Ancelotti believes Chelsea's UEFA Champions League exit could prove to be a blessing in disguise with regards the title race.

While Premier League leaders Manchester United and third placed Arsenal retain an interest in Europe's premier club competition, Chelsea failed to reach the last eight as they crashed out to Inter Milan.

The Italian is refusing to be downbeat though as he instead points to the fact the physical and mental energy expended by Arsene Wenger and Sir Alex Ferguson's teams could work in his own side's favour.

United will face Bayern Munich on Tuesday and then welcome Chelsea to Old Trafford four days later, and Ancelotti is hoping to make the most of any United fatigue - either mental or physical.

"I agree with Arsene," said Ancelotti. "Mentally, it wasn't good for us to go out of the Champions League.

"But after the victory against Portsmouth, this moment is finished. We have to look at every game. We play Aston Villa on Saturday and then have a week to prepare for Manchester United.

"That could be an advantage for us. Before, we had midweek games. We are disappointed to be out of the Champions League, but it could be an advantage.

"The quarter-finals will take out a lot of energy, not only physically but mentally. We can take advantage of that if we prepare well our own games, and if we play with good tempo, a good high tempo.

"The pressure is the same for all the teams now. We are arriving towards the end of the season and every game is very important. The pressure is normal at this stage of the season."

Before they face United, Chelsea must overcome an Aston Villa side chasing a place in the top four, who beat the Blues 2-1 earlier in the season.

Ancelotti is determined not to let his players get too carried away with the battle looming at Old Trafford.

"United will be an important game, but it's for three points," said Ancelotti. "We have to think about the Villa game, not the United game.

"The last time we played Villa we lost, so we want to do different tomorrow. For me, now, the most important game is tomorrow. Not United.

"It's a very important test. We're playing a strong team, a team that won their last game against us.

"They have very good organisation, they are a very dynamic team with a lot of quick players and are good on the counter-attack and set-pieces.

"It's a very important game and a very important test for us. I want to know that our bad moment is finished.

"We had a very good reaction in the game at Portsmouth. A good indication for the game was that we played 90 minutes well, with the ball on the floor and determination in our game.

"We were a bit lucky, too, with the first goal, but that's a good thing. That means things are changing.

"At this moment in the season to have one more point or one less point is not so important. Every team - Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea - need to win their games. If you are in good condition, mental and physical, you can win.

"So it's not more important to have one more or one less point. It's important to stay fit and have optimism and confidence to win the game."