Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca should be looking at making some changes to his team selection for the upcoming trip to Aston Villa.
Chelsea travel to Villa Park on Saturday evening in the Premier League, where they’ll be hoping to bounce back from the recent 3-0 away defeat at Brighton.
Blues head coach Enzo Maresca desperately needs a response from his side because Chelsea had zero shots on target versus Brighton.
Even though Chelsea beat Villa 3-0 in the reverse fixture back in December, there are only four points separating them in the league table going into Saturday.
Three Chelsea players who should come into the starting XI vs Aston Villa
We’ve picked out three individuals we’d like to see the Chelsea manager draft into the starting line-up on Saturday against Villa. Interestingly, they’re all players who were on the bench for the Brighton loss a week ago.
Reece James
First up, Chelsea captain Reece James, 25 should be reinstated to the starting team for the must-win game against Villa.
We understand the cautiousness with his minutes because of his injury record. The right-back only got 25 minutes against Brighton as Malo Gusto started the contest. We’d much prefer it the other way around, though.
Even though it’s been stop-start in the last few years, James still impresses Chelsea fans when he plays because he performs like he’s never been away. Villa winger Marcus Rashford would surely much rather be marked by Gusto than his fellow Englishman.
James does actually have one bad memory of an away day at Villa Park because he once scored a crazy own goal a few years ago.
Back on 26 December 2021, James netted a Premier League own goal when his header went flying over his goalkeeper Edouard Mendy. Thankfully, Chelsea eventually came from behind in that match to beat Villa 3-1 in their own backyard.
| Games vs Aston Villa | Wins | Draws | Losses | Goals | Assists | Yellow cards | Red cards |
| 8 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
Tosin Adarabioyo
Next, Tosin Adarabioyo should be promoted from the bench to the XI for the Villa fixture away from home.
The 27-year-old central defender has been in and out of the team in 2025, but he usually performs well when he features as a composing figure in the backline.
At this moment in time, when the Blues performances are so up and down, they’re crying out for more leadership and guidance. Back in September, Maresca flagged Tosin as a “leader” at Chelsea, so recalling him feels like a sensible option.
| Fixture | Minutes played | Match rating |
| Brighton 3-0 Chelsea | 0 | – |
| Chelsea 2-1 West Ham | 90 | 7.0 |
| Manchester City 3-1 Chelsea | 0 | – |
| Chelsea 3-1 Wolverhampton Wanderers | 90 | 8.0 |
The very recent form highlights the potential influence of Tosin in the side, so he should get the chance to try make it a hat-trick of league victories.
Tyrique George
Finally, we’d love to see Tyrique George promoted to the XI for what would be his first start in a Premier League game.
So far this season, the 19-year-old winger has gone from the Chelsea academy to the first-team squad on a permanent basis. He’s made 12 senior appearances across all competitions, including two substitute cameos in the Premier League.
Due to the fact that other Blues wingers aren’t pulling up any trees right now, George should get his opportunity to show what he can do from the start against Villa.
Apparently, George has impressed in Chelsea training as he works on a daily basis with the main group. The way he performed off the bench versus Brighton with intent and pace should be rewarded on the weekend.
