Fresh off booking their place in the League Cup final, Chelsea turn their attention to FA Cup action on Friday when facing Aston Villa in the fourth round at Stamford Bridge.
The Blues blew away Middlesbrough on Tuesday to reach the final, slotting six past their Championship opponents, and they will be eager to keep the momentum going at the expense of Villa.
Unai Emery’s visitors occupy fourth place in the Premier League, five places and 12 points better off than Chelsea, but the West Midlands outfit may see their FA Cup run ended on Friday.
Team news
Chelsea’s treatment room is still crowded heading into this fixture and they will again be without Christopher Nkunku, Lesley Ugochukwu, Marc Cucurella, Robert Sanchez, Wesley Fofana, Romeo Lavia and Reece James due to injury.
Nicolas Jackson is also unavailable as he is representing Senegal at the Africa Cup of Nations.
As for Villa, they remain without Bertrand Traore, who is playing for Burkina Faso at AFCON, while Emiliano Buendia, Tyrone Mings and Lucas Digne are all injured.
Pau Torres, Jacob Ramsey and Robin Olsen could be back in time from their respective injuries to make the squad.
The stats
Chelsea thrashed Middlesbrough 6-1 in the second leg of their League Cup semi-final on Tuesday, booking their spot in the final and also making it five wins from their last six matches in all competitions.
The Blues are on a seven-game winning streak at Stamford Bridge, and they last tasted defeat on home soil when going down 2-0 to Brentford on October 28.
Villa are on a three-match unbeaten run heading into this clash, keeping clean sheets in two of those, while they have lost just one of their last 14 assignments in all competitions.
The Villans beat Middlesbrough 1-0 in the third round at the Riverside to record their first away victory in the FA Cup since overcoming Bristol Rovers 3-1 back in January 2012.
Prediction
Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino has been getting a tune of his squad over the past month, and seven victories from their last nine matches in all competitions highlight this.
With the Premier League title out of sight already, the best chance of silverware for the Blues this season is in the domestic cup competitions, and they are just one victory away from League Cup glory.
One huge factor of late for Chelsea has been the improvement in their home form and they have not tasted defeat at Stamford Bridge in their last nine assignments, winning eight and drawing one.
Visitors Villa will be a tough test, and they have already come away from Stamford Bridge with a win this season, triumphing 1-0 in September in the league.
However, Chelsea are a more consistent side since that defeat, and they look capable of gaining revenge by knocking the Villans out of the FA Cup.