Chelsea vs. Aston Villa | Premier League | Pre Match

Both coming into this clash off the back of European adventures earlier in the week, Chelsea and Aston Villa will lock horns at Stamford Bridge for a Premier League match on Sunday afternoon.

The Blues were made to work hard for maximum points in the Conference League against Heidenheim on Thursday night, two days after the Villans shared the Champions League spoils with Italian giants Juventus in the Second City.

Following the 2-0 defeat in the fourth round of the EFL Cup to Newcastle United on October 30, Chelsea enjoyed a defeat-free November schedule, a promising month of results that concluded with a two-goal victory at the home of Bundesliga outfit Heidenheim in the Conference League on Thursday night.

After a goalless first half, strikes from Christopher Nkunku and Mykhaylo Mudryk ensured that the Blues preserved their 100% record in the League Phase of UEFA's third-tier club competition, meaning that the West Londoners are now guaranteed to advance into February's playoff round at least.

Focusing on Premier League matters, Chelsea will be looking to make it back-to-back wins in the top flight following the final international break of the calendar year, with Enzo Maresca getting one over his former employers Leicester City last weekend at the King Power Stadium.

Finding the net with a composed finish against the Foxes, Nicolas Jackson is tied at the top of the Blues' Premier League goalscoring ranks alongside England hero Cole Palmer with seven strikes so far, whilst Noni Madueke (4) is the only other Chelsea player to have netted more than once in the top flight this term.

Collecting just nine of their 22 Premier League points at Stamford Bridge this campaign, no side in the division has earned a smaller ratio of their points at their respective home base to date, meaning that Maresca's men have a clear area for improvement if they wish to bridge the nine-point gap to league leaders Liverpool.

Since the 2-0 Champions League success over tournament newcomers Bologna on October 22, Aston Villa have endured a seven-game winless run across all competitions, so it was rather unsurprising that boos were audible in the Second City at the end of Tuesday night's battle with Juventus.

Much that was frustration from the Villa faithful was directed towards the decision to disallow Morgan Rogers's strike in the final moments of the match for a foul in the build-up, meaning that Unai Emery's men are now outside of the top-eight spots on the continent.

Villa collected just the single point across three Premier League contests in November, suffering a battering at the hands of Tottenham Hotspur and losing at Liverpool before being forced to settle the top-flight points with a stubborn Crystal Palace outfit last Saturday.

The Villans had to show their considerable powers of recovery to earn a positive result from their match with the relegation-threatened Eagles, as strikes from Ollie Watkins and Ross Barkley cancelled out efforts by Ismaila Sarr and academy graduate Justin Devenny for the visitors.

Looking to halt a four-game winless run in the Premier League, Villa will take plenty of confidence from their recent record at Stamford Bridge ahead of Sunday afternoon, with Emery's side winning two and drawing one of their last three competitive matches at the home of Chelsea.