Aston Villa vs Chelsea LIVE commentary: Pochettino under pressure as Blues face tricky test in FA Cup replay – kick-off time, team news and how to follow

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Chelsea are under mounting pressure to avoid a full-blown crisis as they return to FA Cup action to face Aston Villa this week.

The Blues were beaten 4-2 by Wolves on Sunday to suffer successive Premier League defeats within a week which dropped them into the bottom half of the table.

Pochettino apologised to Chelsea fans after another poor performanceCredit: Getty

Mauricio Pochettino will now be desperate to keep the club's FA Cup dream alive, or otherwise, the Carabao Cup remains their only chance at winning a trophy this season.

High-flying Villa battled to a goalless draw when these two sides met in the initial fourth round clash, but warmed up for the return fixture with a 5-0 victory over Sheffield United.

The winner of the replay will book a favourable home meeting with either Leeds or Plymouth Argyle in the fifth round.

Aston Villa vs Chelsea: Poch under pressure

Pochettino should take solace from Chelsea's impressive record in FA Cup replays, with the club progressing from eight of their last nine.

Their only elimination in this run was against Everton in the 2010/11 season, but curiously that also came in an away game in the fourth round.

The defeat also meant then-manager Carlo Ancelotti finished the campaign without a trophy, which ultimately caused his exit.

Pochettino knows success in the domestic cups is the only chance Chelsea have this season of adding silverware as he enters a critical month.

The Argentine is into his seven month as Blues boss, having officially arrived on July 1, 2023 - a notorious milestone for under-performing managers at Stamford Bridge.

Rafael Benítez, Luiz Felipe Scolari, Andre Villas-Boas, and Chelsea's last permanent coach before Pochettino, Graham Potter, were ALL dismissed seven months into their reigns.

And with Chelsea involved in Carabao Cup final action against Liverpool at the end of February, Pochettino could end his seventh month by confirming another trophyless season if results go against his side.

Seven months and sacked has been a pattern for full-time Chelsea managers who underperformed Chelsea lost 4-0 against Manchester City in their last FA Cup away game (last season’s third round). They’ve not lost consecutive matches on the road in the competition since February 2004 (v Arsenal) and February 2005 (v Newcastle). Chelsea have progressed from eight of their last nine FA Cup replays, with this their first since the 2017-18 third round against Norwich. Their only elimination in this run was against Everton in 2010-11 (fourth round).

Aston Villa vs Chelsea: What has been said?

"We can’t hide," Chelsea vice-captain Ben Chilwell said following the Wolves defeat. "It wasn’t good enough.

"We started well and got the goal [through Cole Palmer] but then we conceded almost straightaway and then it just wasn’t good enough for 70 minutes or so of the game.

"I think they showed that they ‘wanted it’ more than us. That’s not to say that we didn’t want it, but I think they just showed that bit more fight than us.

"There’s no excuses but they seemed to win more duels, they seemed to run more than us and from when they scored the first goal, they just seemed to dominate.

"Like I said, there can be no excuses for this, and we need to put it right quickly."

Chelsea have now lost more Premier League games this season than they have wonCredit: Getty Aston Villa have lost each of their last five FA Cup home games. The last team within England’s top four tiers to lose more consecutively on home soil were Rotherham United (7 between 2002 and 2008). Chelsea were eliminated in their first four FA Cup ties against Aston Villa but have since progressed from their last three, with two of those coming at Wembley (1-0 in 1999-00 final, 3-0 in 2009-10 semi-final). Aston Villa have kept a clean sheet in each of their last three meetings with Chelsea in all competitions, more than they had in their previous 26 against them (2). They’ve never gone four in a row without conceding against the Blues.