Aston Villa v Chelsea team news: Morgan Sanson starts for Villa

Aston Villa boss Steven Gerrard makes two changes from the side that beat Norwich City 2-0 last time out.

The Boxing Day clash with Chelsea sees Morgan Sanson come in for his first Premier League start of the season in place of John McGinn and Danny Ings back in the XI for Ashley Young.

There is no place in the squad at all for McGinn or Young which would suggest that the two have tested positive for covid or have picked up knocks.

Villa boss Steven Gerrard did confirm on December 22 that there was at least one first team player that had tested positive for coronavirus so it would come as no surprise if it was one of those two names.

Trezeguet finds himself with a place on the bench following his long-term injury and there is also a suprise inclusion for Burkina Faso international Bertrand Traore on the Villa bench.

The claret & blue will of course have to make do without their Head Coach for today’s game - the club confirming that Gerrard had tested positive for coronavirus late on Christmas day.

Teams

Aston Villa (4-3-3): Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Mings, Targett; Sanson, Luiz, Ramsey; Buendia, Watkins, Ings

Subs: Steer (GK), Hause, Iroegbunam, Tuanzebe, Chukwuemeka, Davis, El-Ghazi, Traore, Trezeguet

Chelsea (3-4-2-1): Mendy; Rudiger, Silva, Chalobah; Alonso, Jorginho, Kante, James; Mount, Hudson-Odoi; Pulisic

Subs: Kepa (GK), Azpilicueta, Christensen, Sarr, Barkley, Kovacic, Saul, Ziyech, Lukaku

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