Chelsea will face Aston Villa in their final Premier League game and will secure their place in next season’s Champions League ahead of their appearance in this season’s final. The Blues now control their own destiny going into the final day of the domestic season after they climbed to third place beating Leicester in midweek.
Aston Villa Lineup: Martinez, Konsa, Mings, Targett, Hause, McGinn, Grealish, Traore, Nakamba, El Ghazi, Watkins.
Ross Barkley has played his last game for Aston Villa, and he will unavailable to play against his parent club Chelsea on Sunday.
Dean Smith is likely to stay placed and Douglas Luiz and Jacob Ramsey will be hoping to return to the starting lineup. Since their contracts are up this summer, Ahmed Elmohamady and Neil Taylor can at the very least get cameos.
Chelsea Lineup: Mendy, Rudiger, Silva, Chilwell, James, Azpilicueta, Jorginho, Kante, Pulisic, Mount, Werner.
Thomas Tuchel is adamant that N’Golo Kante has avoided a serious injury, but it would be surprising if he was risked here with the Champions League final just around the corner.
Apart from Kante’s absence, we should see Chelsea’s strongest available lineup but Tuchel would prefer to field a weaker team in this match, although their win is important to secure a top-four finish.
Tuchel is optimistic that Kai Havertz will be available on Sunday.
Prediction
Dean Smith’s team Aston Villa is possible to finish 11th, no matter what happens on the final day of the season. That status is rather deceiving, as they may have been in contention for Europe if Jack Grealish had not missed 12 games due to injury.
Thomas Tuchel’s side will secure third position if they beat Villa and the Blues need to equal Leicester’s result. Considering the Champions League final a week away Tuchel won’t field a strong XI on Sunday.
Chelsea’s top scorer in the league this season is penalty taker Jorginho, who has just seven goals, but clean sheets have become the backbone of their progress under Tuchel.
Our Prediction: Aston Villa 1 – 2 Chelsea
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