Aston Villa are back in Premier League action this week

Aston Villa won 2-1 at home to Chelsea last time out. New boy Marco Asensio scored both of their goals against the Blues.

Unai Emery’s side showed impressive character to turn the game around after going behind 1-0. They are now sat in 7th place in the Premier League table.

Next up is an away trip in the league to Crystal Palace on Tuesday. They then face Cardiff City in the FA Cup on Friday night at Villa Park.

Aston Villa held Loic Bade talks

Sevilla defender Loic Bade has said he held talks with Aston Villa in January and has is coy regarding his long-term future. The La Liga man emerged as an option for Emery this winter.

He has said in a recent interview, as per ABC Sevilla: “Maybe in sporting terms it can offer you a better showcase. They are very good things, I know that, but I’m one of those who think in the present and that I feel very good here. So, I think more about being happy today than anything else. Then whatever has to happen will happen, but now I don’t think about anywhere else. When the summer [window] comes, we’ll see where we are. Whether there are new offers or not, I don’t want to think about it.”

He added: “Yes, I have spoken to him [Monchi], but I have explained the situation and how well I feel. He was the first to understand it.”

Bade, 24, could have been seen by Aston Villa as someone to boost their defensive ranks. He joined Sevilla back in 2023 and has since made 80 appearances in all competitions, chipping in with three goals.

The former France youth international has had spells in the past at Paris FC, Le Havre, Lens and Rennes. He was loaned out by the latter to Nottingham Forest but he struggled to make an impact during his brief stint at The City Ground in 2022.

What now for Aston Villa?

Aston Villa will want to build some momentum now and get a positive result against Crystal Palace. They should be in confident mood after winning against Chelsea as they look to get into Europe again.

Speaking ahead of their match against Palace, Emery said: “They (Crystal Palace) are performing very well. They started in the beginning not getting good results, but progressively they were getting better.

“We played against them two times here at Villa Park and it was very tough matches. We lost, we drew, but they performed very well. They are performing overall very well in the league, maybe even better away, getting a lot of points.

“At home, maybe they lost some matches, but they deserved more, because we analysed, we watched it, and they were performing like when we played against them and they could win those matches, they lost the last matches at home, against Everton, against Brentford. Tactically, it is difficult to stop them, because their structure is so, so strong, their structure tactically, offensively.”