Chelsea have already beaten Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur in this time slot this season, but lost at Manchester United.

A third yellow card of the season for Enzo Maresca during last Saturday’s high-octane comeback at Newcastle United means our head coach must serve a touchline ban this weekend.

The lack of a holiday fixture for the Blues created our first free midweek since September for the world champions’ international cohort, but now come two Premier League matches in four days. Bournemouth, next up in SW6 on Tuesday evening, will bring our league campaign to its halfway stage.

The visiting Villans, one place above the Londoners in third, have put together a run of seven successive top-flight wins in the quest for the UEFA Champions League finish that eluded them last season on the final day.

At this time of year, Villa will need little reminding that window 23 on the 2012 advent calendar served up their record league loss, 8-0 at the Bridge. Last December, Chelsea beat Unai Emery’s side 3-0, thanks to goals by Nicolas Jackson, Enzo Fernandez and Cole Palmer.

Maresca needs two more points to reach 100 earned since he first led the Londoners.

The Christmas history

The first-ever match between Chelsea and Aston Villa was a 0-0 draw in Division One 118 years ago, on 28 December 1907, and there have been plenty of Yuletide meetings since then.

Christmas Day 1919 was not one to remember for aficionados of the Blues as the Villans racked up a 5-2 home win, though it was 2-2 at one point after an 11am kick-off.

In 1930, the Brummies once again ruined the big day’s festivities, this time 2-0 in an 11.30am start at Stamford Bridge. Boxing Day at Villa Park brought a 3-3 draw, in which Hugh Gallacher opened the scoring. Two from Leslie Odell put the Blues ahead, until a late leveller from the spot for the hosts.

Four years later, the same back-to-back festive fixtures against Villa brought two Chelsea wins without conceding. Winger Dickie Spence struck twice without reply in another early start at the Bridge on 25 December, and Boxing Day in Birmingham saw recently-signed Irish star Joe Bambrick break the deadlock and another new arrival, left-winger William Barraclough, bang in two.

Next up, on 27 December 1986 in London, Kerry Dixon got the better of Martin Keown and Paul Elliott to claim two goals in a 4-1 win, Colin Pates also weighing in and Nigel Spackman netting from the spot. Future Blue Elliott replied for the Villans.

On Boxing Day 10 years later, the usual festive screening of ‘The Italian Job’ was eclipsed by Gianfranco Zola lighting up Villa Park with both goals in a 2-0 Premier League victory, the first time the home side had conceded in seven hours.

Damien Duff provided seasonal joy along the Fulham Road on Boxing Day 2004, the league leaders winning 1-0, and three years later the Bridge served up a pantomime of eight goals (two for Andriy Shevchenko) and three red cards (two for Chelsea). Michael Ballack seemed to have settled the matter at 4-3, but Gareth Barry equalised from the spot in stoppage time.

Olivier Giroud scored for the hosts in a 1-1 ‘Covid Christmas’ draw on 28 December 2020 and the following festive season the Londoners played a first-ever evening start on Boxing Day, and downed the claret 3-1. Jorginho doubled up on penalty goals at Villa Park either side of a Romelu Lukaku strike to seal our sixth win in eight visits.

Finally, 23 December 2012 was the nightmare before Christmas for the Villans at the Bridge, as they suffered their worst-ever league defeat, ending Chelsea 8-0 Villa. Remarkably, it was still 1-0 through Fernando Torres until 29 minutes. Six different names were then added to the scoresheet – David Luiz, Branislav Ivanovic, Frank Lampard, Oscar, Eden Hazard and Ramires (twice). Lucas Piazon missed a late penalty.

Know this...

Chelsea have scored first in seven of our eight home league games this season, second only to Manchester City (eight of nine).

Aston Villa have scored one league goal and conceded five during the opening 15 minutes of away matches this season, and conceded first in six of their eight games on the road. But Unai Emery’s team have recovered to win four of the six games on the road in which they have trailed.

Between them, Ezri Konsa and Pau Torres have blocked 25 shots in this season’s top flight.

Last Saturday’s 2-2 draw at Newcastle meant a Chelsea side trailing by two or more goals at half-time had avoided defeat for just the fourth time in the Premier League. The previous three were a 3-3 draw at Sheffield Wednesday in August 1992, the same scoreline at West Bromwich Albion in September 2020 and a 2-2 at Villa Park in April 2024.

Reece James’ direct free-kick goal was the first in the top flight by any Chelsea player since Raheem Sterling’s for the Blues at St James' Park in November 2023.

Robert Sanchez’s assist for Joao Pedro was the first by a Chelsea goalkeeper in the Premier League since Petr Cech set up Didier Drogba against Tottenham in December 2010.