Our prediction for this FA Cup match:
Chelsea
Match Time & Date:
26/01/2024
20:45
Prediction: 2-1
Aston Villa
Buoyed by the EFL Cup crushing (6-1) of Middlesbrough, Chelsea will look to give fans yet another reason to celebrate when they take on Aston Villa in the FA Cup last 32. The Blues have been showing signs of improvement of late and, as a result, the bookies see them as favourites to win Friday’s clash. A man to keep an eye on in the home team will be Cole Palmer, who scored a brace in the EFL Cup triumph, while Nicolas Jackson is on international duty. The likes of Nkunku, Ugochukwu, Cucurella, James, and Chalobah miss out with injuries.
The Villans, on the other hand, head into the match following a goalless draw with Everton. Unai Emery’s men defeated Middlesbrough in the previous round, but given Chelsea’s fine displays at home in January, we believe that there is a big value in betting on Mauro Pochettino’s troops. The likes of Digne, Mings, and Buendia are sidelined with injuries, while Bertrand Traore is on international duty.
Highlighted Player (Diego Carlos):
Diego Carlos Santos Silva is a Brazilian footballer who plays for Nantes as a defender. His main position is centre-back and his preferred foot is right. Diego Carlos began his youth career at America-SP and in 2010 he moved to Desportivo Brasil. After spending the 2012/2013 season on loan at Sao Paulo, the 185-cm-tall defender returned to Desportivo Brasil.
However, he made his first-team debut with Madureira during his spell with the club (2014). In 2014 Diego Carlos signed a contract with Portuguese club Estoril Praia and he scored two goals in 39 appearances for the Primeira Liga club. It has to be noted, though, that he played for Porto B (on loan) in the 2014/2015 season.
Diego Carlos moved to French club Nantes in the summer of 2016 and you should bear in mind that he quickly established himself as a first-team regular with les Canaris. The Brazilian footballer scored two goals in 34 appearances for Nantes in the 2016/2017 Ligue 1 campaign. His contract with the Ligue 1 side expires on June 20, 2021.
Highlighted Team (Chelsea):
Over the years Chelsea have established themselves as one of the dominant forces in the English Premier League. Roberto Di Matteo helped the team win their first ever Champions League trophy (2011/2012), but it has to be noted that they were more than fortunate to beat Bayern Munich in the title game.
Chelsea have been playing at Stamford Bridge since 1876 and they are a real force to be reckoned with at home. The Blues have won seven FA Cups, five League Cups, two UEFA Cup Winners’ Cups and the UEFA Europa League. Rafael Benitez was in charge of the team that faced Benfica in the 2012/2013 Europa League final, with Branislav Ivanovic scoring the winner for the Blues in the title clash.
After lifting the 2014/2015 Premier League trophy, the Blues largely struggled in the next campaign, which saw Jose Mourinho’s second spell with the club come to an end, and Antoine Conte went over to take the reigns for the 2016/2017 season.
Manchester United 
Everton
Tottenham
Fulham
Real Madrid 
Getafe
Liverpool
Man City 
Lecce 
Juventus 
