As Chelsea are Paris Saint-Germain’s opponents in the 2025-2026 Champions League Round of 16 (March 11 and 17), we’ll be keeping a close eye on the Blues’ performances leading up to the second leg. This Sunday, they faced Aston Villa (4th) in the Premier League and secured a 4-1 victory, moving them up to 5th place in the standings.
Starting lineup: 4-2-3-1
João Pedro
Garnacho – Fernandez – Palmer
Caicedo – Reece James
Hato – Chabolah – Fofana – Gusto
Jorgensen
After a frustrating defeat against Arsenal, Chelsea bounced back well yesterday despite a poor start and conceding a goal in the 2nd minute (Douglas Luiz). The Blues didn’t let their heads drop and largely dominated the match: 17 shots to 8 (9 on target to 4), 59% possession, and 8 corners to 3. They played with great intensity and scored a hat-trick from João Pedro, with Cole Palmer netting the other goal.
This is an important victory for Chelsea in the race for European qualification, and also a great confidence boost before their trip to the Parc des Princes next Wednesday, as a visit to Aston Villa is never easy. However, there were still some defensive lapses that the opposition failed to capitalize on.
Now, they have the FA Cup match this weekend against Wrexham, with a likely rotation of the starting lineup.
