Chelsea have made a couple of changes to the team that beat Hull City, both of them in attacking positions. Juan Mata is fit after sitting out due to jetlag and replaces impressive debutante Kevin de Bruyne. A change has also been made up top, with Demba Ba coming in for the unsurprisingly streaky and inconsistent Fernando Torres.
Chelsea vs. Aston Villa: Lineups
Villa and Chelsea have made minimal changes to their lineups from the weekend, though the Blues’ two switches are significant ones.
Mike Hewitt
More from our team sites: Chelsea blog We Ain't Got No History Aston Villa blog 7500 to Holte
Aston Villa defeated Arsenal at the weekend, so it should come as no surprise that they've kept their team mostly the same. Nathan Baker is out injured, so Ciaran Clark takes his place in the center of defense. Otherwise, the Villains are unchanged.
Chelsea lineup (4-2-3-1): Petr Cech; Ashley Cole, John Terry, Gary Cahill, Branislav Ivanovic; Frank Lampard, Ramires; Eden Hazard, Juan Mata, Oscar; Demba Ba
Aston Villa lineup (4-3-3): Brad Guzan; Antonio Luna, Ron Vlaar, Ciaran Clark, Matt Lowton; Karim El Ahmadi, Ashley Westwood, Fabian Delph, Gabriel Agbonlahor, Christian Benteke, Andreas Weimann
Kickoff is at 2:45 p.m. ET, 7:45 p.m. local time from Stamford Bridge. You can catch the game on NBC Sports Network in the United States.
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