Our next fixture sees us travelling to Birmingham for a 5.30pm kick-off in the Premier League on Saturday.

After tuning in from the kit room at Cobham to see us drawn to play Copenhagen in the next round of the UEFA Conference League, Enzo Maresca switched attention straight back to the Premier League, as he led his squad out onto the training pitch to conclude their work ahead of the game against Aston Villa.

The Blues have had a full week to prepare for this game fully focused on bouncing straight back from last Friday's defeat at Brighton.

However, we will have to do so without Noni Madueke, who was not involved in training today after picking up an injury against the Seagulls, and Maresca confirmed he is one of those unlikely to return until after next month's international break.

‘We don't have any update on the injuries,’ Maresca said. ‘We don't have any additional injuries, which is good.

‘Noni will probably be out until the international break. We can have most of the players back after the international break, maybe all of them, and it can be a big boost for us.’

Speaking to the media in his pre-match press conference, Maresca also gave his verdict on our next opponents Aston Villa and the work of their manager Unai Emery, making it clear that he expects a tough match at Villa Park tomorrow.

‘Aston Villa are a very good team,’ added Enzo. 'Since the new project with Emery, they are doing fantastic.

'This season you can see in the Champions League they finished in the top eight to qualify for the knockout phase, which is an unbelievable achievement for the club, plus they are fighting to finish in the top four of the Premier League.

‘The team are very good, they know clearly how they want to play - both on the ball and off the ball - and the manager is probably one of the best managers [in the league].’

Chelsea take on Aston Villa at 5.30pm on Saturday and supporters in the UK can watch the match live on Sky Sports. We will also be providing minute-by-minute updates of all the build-up, action and reaction in our Aston Villa vs Chelsea Match Centre, where you can also listen to live audio commentary.