Chelsea’s Premier League trip to Aston Villa is our penultimate fixture of the year and the final game before the Blues’ campaign reaches the halfway mark.

A quirk of this year’s festive fixtures is that the visitors are facing the Villans for the second time before playing Brighton once. (Likewise with Villa and Leeds, who meet two days later.)

Our most recent victory at Villa was behind closed doors for the first action of ‘Project Restart’ in June 2020. Kortney Hause opened the scoring just before the break but two goals in as many minutes from Christian Pulisic and Olivier Giroud around the hour mark secured all three points.

So far this season Thomas Tuchel’s men have won six of the nine away games, scoring in eight of them and keeping a clean sheet in half-a-dozen.

Chelsea team news

Few things please a coach more than the substitutions proving their choices right and Tuchel’s bench quartet all contributed to the Blues’ 2-0 quarter-final win at Brentford.

N’Golo Kante’s trickery and pass fed Reece James, whose fierce cross forced the error from Pontus Jansson for our opener. Christian Pulisic chased a seemingly lost cause to earn a penalty for the second, dispatched by Jorginho.

Encouragingly, along with three teenage debutants who all acquitted themselves well, Kepa Arrizabalaga caught the eye, dominating his area and making saves to secure a second successive clean sheet for the team. Edou Mendy is set to join Senegal’s Africa Cup of Nation training camp in early January. (Hakim Ziyech was excluded from Morocco’s final roll call.)

Patience while Saul Niguez adapts to the English game also appears to be bearing fruit. The Spaniard won four tackles and three aerial duels on Wednesday – the most since his arrival – as well as executing three successful dribbles.

Plenty of regulars were handed a rest in midweek to be fresh for this difficult trip, which brought Tuchel’s only away defeat last season. In a welcome upturn in the club’s recent fortunes the Bavarian has seen Mateo Kovacic and Kante ease back to fitness. Centre-back Andreas Christensen, winger Callum Hudson-Odoi and striker Romelu Lukaku have returned to training.

The Blues have been missing firepower up front in recent games, but have performed well defensively and kept the ball better. On Wednesday the hosts were restricted to their lowest share of possession since February 2011.

And despite much-changed personnel in the past two games the Chelsea infrastructure has looked more robust than previous weeks with the usual against-the-odds spirit in evidence. A win in Birmingham today would reinvigorate the Londoners’ league charge going into the second half of the campaign.

Strong start for coach Gerrard

Steven Gerrard is the first Aston Villa coach to have won his opening Premier League match since his former boss at Liverpool, Gerard Houllier, 11 years ago.

The Villans are easier on the eye under the recent Rangers coach, with improved metrics in many areas and four wins in six league outings under their belts. The other two were narrow defeats by Man City and Liverpool, and fewer shots are being conceded than before the change.

They hold their positions with discipline right across the pitch in a consistent 4-3-3 formation with a strong spine of Emi Martinez in goal, skipper Tyrone Mings and Ezri Konsa centre-backs, Marvelous Nakamba holding, and Ollie Watkins at the apex.

They play out from the back, passing through the lines, but press much more aggressively in midfield. Their wingers sometimes tuck in centrally as number 10s, leaving space for overlapping full-backs.

Although leading scorer Watkins is brought into play much more than earlier this season, using his body strength and trickery to good effect, there has been a slight reduction in the team’s potency in front of goal, with good chances and overall attempts down from Dean Smith’s days.

In several tight games they have just summoned a little magic to make the difference against statistically equal opponents. Four of their nine goals under Gerrard have arrived in the last five minutes and the one at Crystal Palace was very much against the run of play.

Losing key midfielder Nakamba long-term is a big blow and Gerrard is uncertain how many of his players will be available today after bouts of Covid in the camp. Bertrand Traore, who opened the scoring against his former club in this fixture last season, also misses out along with Leon Bailey, while Ashley Young’s participation is in doubt.

We have Christmas history

A hundred and 10 years ago Chelsea beat Fulham 1-0 home and away despite heavy ground and torrential rain on Christmas and Boxing Day 1911. The victories lifted David Calderhead’s side to third, and four months later the Pensioners were promoted for the second time.

Sunday brings the Londoners’ first ever evening start in front of fans on 26 December. In the pre-floodlights era this game would have been a 2.15pm kick-off, and from the 1960s to ’80s around 11 or 11.30am. In the 1990s and 2000s some were set for 3pm, but never near as late as 5.30pm. Chelsea have won six of the past nine Boxing Day matches, but lost the last two, including a late start at the Emirates a year ago.

It is the fourth time the Blues have met Villa on Boxing Day in the Premier League and sixth overall. The most recent occasion was an entertaining 4-4 draw involving three red cards at the Bridge in 2007. Chelsea are unbeaten on all five previous occasions.

It was the nightmare before Christmas for the Villans on 23 December 2012 at the Bridge, when they suffered their worst ever defeat: Chelsea 8 Villa 0. Remarkably, it was still 1-0 on 29 minutes, there were seven different names on the scoresheet, and Lucas Piazon missed a late penalty.

Schedule intensifies for Blues

The postponement of Leeds’ Boxing Day visit to Anfield eases the schedule Jurgen Klopp complained about, but Andy Robertson will be suspended on 2 January against Chelsea, who can now draw level on points with Liverpool on Sunday.

The Reds’ delayed fixture will have to be played some time and not necessarily to the title-chasers’ advantage as all their Africa Cup of Nations call-ups are available this weekend. By the time the FA Cup weekend offers some players respite, the Merseysiders could have played four games in the three weeks since their last league action, leaders City three, while for Chelsea it is an arduous five.

Yellow tightrope

This is the final match in which Chelsea’s players can receive a fifth caution leading to a one-match suspension. Reece James is the only man at risk.

Brighton, who come to the Bridge on 29 December, have Adam Lallana, Neal Maupay and Joel Veltman on four yellow cards going into their Boxing Day clash with Brentford. The 19th game for 2 January visitors Liverpool, who have Fabinho on four bookings, will now be Leicester away on 28 December.

Gerrard and Chelsea

Like Shakespeare’s star cross’d lovers, Steven Gerrard and Chelsea were destined never to be together but created unforgettable drama whenever they met. In July 2005 the Liverpool midfielder submitted a transfer request to join the Roman Abramovich revolution, but eventually backed down.

Before and since the Reds’ skipper faced the Blues in 40 matches and lost 18 of them, including a Champions League semi-final, two domestic finals and crucial league games for both sides. He was sent off once, scored twice, put one in his own net, and has never been allowed to forget errors leading to further Chelsea goals.

Shortly before his retirement in May 2015 came his swansong at the Bridge and a standing ovation from home fans when he was subbed. The gesture towards a great adversary cut no ice. ‘Chelsea fans have had respect for a couple of seconds today,’ he said afterwards, ‘but have slaughtered me all game.’

The new Villa boss will not be at today's game due to a postive Covid test.

Let it Bee

Jude Soonsup-Bell was alerted by Thomas Tuchel just before kick-off that the Brentford stadium speakers were playing the Beatles’ ‘Hey Jude’. It showed the personable coach’s care for our Academy graduates as his ‘Fab three’ (the striker, Xavier Simons, and Harvey Vale) made assured debut contributions towards the west London derby win. The teenagers join Trevoh Chalobah, who showed the ease of a veteran against the Bees, in making their bow under the Bavarian.

Last four familiarity

The ‘adjacent fixtures rule’ applied again in the Carabao Cup semi-finals draw, and Chelsea’s two legs with Tottenham mean three spicy derbies in league and cup next month. It is the 57th major semi-final the club has reached in 110 years.

We would like to wish all readers of the Pre-Match Briefing a very safe and happy Christmas.

Matchweek 19 Premier League fixtures

Boxing Day (Sunday)Liverpool v Leeds 12.30pm (postponed)Wolves v Watford 12.30pm (postponed)Everton v Burnley 3pm (postponed)Man City v Leicester 3pmNorwich v Arsenal 3pmTottenham v Crystal Palace 3pmWest Ham v Southampton 3pmAston Villa v Chelsea 5.30pm (Sky Sports)Brighton v Brentford 8pm (Sky Sports)

MondayNewcastle v Man Utd 8pm (Sky Sports)