Following a goalless draw at Stamford Bridge in the initial meeting between the two sides, Chelsea take on Premier League rivals Villa for a second time in the space of 12 days, with a place in the last 16 of the cup at stake.

A result must be achieved on the night at Villa Park – with extra time and penalties a possibility – and the Blues will look to continue our formidable cup form having already secured a place in the Carabao Cup final.

The players spent Tuesday morning at Cobham preparing themselves for tomorrow's test, which comes after a difficult afternoon against Wolves at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.

But our head coach has full confidence in his group of players to get back to winning ways - and told them so ahead of a big night of cup football under the lights at Villa Park.

‘In this type of moment – living in a situation that is not nice – we can learn,' explained the Chelsea head coach in his pre-match press conference.

'It’s a good opportunity to learn. I told the players today in the meeting, I trust in them more than ever, and I’m going to support them more than ever.

'I need to reflect in every single action my trust, and we really trust the players that we have. We are going to face this momentum knowing we can bounce back and start to win games.'

The Villa replay comes at the start of a busy month for the Blues, with five games to play in three competitions. Chelsea will also be away from home on Monday, for the much shorter trip to Crystal Palace in the Premier League.

And with fixtures coming thick and fast, Pochettino could potentially shuffle his pack for the trip to Villa Park.

'We were talking today with the players that they need to be ready for tomorrow,' he told the media on Tuesday. 'We are going to pay attention, of course, to what happened in the last few games.

'And for us, we need to assess our players and tomorrow I will decide the team. I think it's important to assess how they are recovering and maybe make some changes for tomorrow.'

One player who could be in the frame for a return to the starting line-up is forward Nicolas Jackson. The Senegal forward had been away with his national side at the Africa Cup of Nations but returned to Cobham last week following their elimination.

Jackson was then brought off the bench in the 63rd minute of the Wolves game, replacing Moises Caicedo, for his first appearance in a Blues shirt since the turn of the year. If selected it will be his first start since our 3-2 win at Luton in December.

Carney Chukwuemeka could return to his former club for the first time in the away dressing room. The 20-year-old joined us from Aston Villa back in 2022 after six years at the Midlands club.

Mykhailo Mudryk is another back in the frame for a first starting spot since the third-round win over Preston at Stamford Bridge, following his assist for Thiago Silva's goal during a 20-minute cameo in the Wolves defeat.

Although there was disappointment the Blues didn't progress in 90 minutes during the first game, the boss is relishing an opportunity to finish the job and reach the last 16, which would bring a home tie against either Leeds United or Plymouth Argyle should we advance.

'It's true that we played well in the first game at Stamford Bridge,' added Pochettino. 'It was a game after the first-half that it felt nearly done.

'The circumstances we arrive in now are completely different. We cannot affect the past, only we can affect the future.'