Aston Villa vs Chelsea

A place in the FA Cup quarter-finals is up for grabs as Aston Villa and Chelsea go head-to-head in a blockbuster last-16 replay.

Aston Villa’s bid to reach the FA Cup fifth round for the first time since entering the grand final in 2015 requires a replay showdown following a scoreless draw at Stamford Bridge in the initial leg. While Villa Park has been a fortress this season, Villa’s underwhelming record of five defeats from the last six H2Hs they’ve hosted (W1) paints a bleak picture, as does the fact they succumbed to a woeful 3-1 loss to Newcastle United in their last home league outing. Unai Emery’s side provided a perfect response to their first home defeat in over a year, scoring four unanswered first-half goals en route to a 5-0 demolition of Sheffield United at the weekend. Fresh off their biggest top-flight away win since April 2008, they return to Villa Park confident of halting a disastrous five-game losing streak in FA Cup home duties.

On the other hand, Chelsea’s nightmarish Premier League campaign continued at the weekend, with Wolverhampton running riot at the Bridge, picking up a 4-2 win. That result followed up a 4-1 thumping at the hands of Liverpool, which contributed to fans’ rage as they booed home players after the final whistle. With pressure mounting on manager Mauricio Pochettino, a failed attempt to go the distance in the FA Cup could prove detrimental to his future in West London amidst a miserable three-game winless streak in all competitions (D1, L2). Yet, confidence stems from Chelsea’s impressive away record in this competition. They’ve emerged victorious from six of their last seven FA Cup travels (L1). That contrasts their current away form that has seen them lose six of their seven most recent road trips (W1).