Aston Villa Tackle Chelsea in Intensifying Premier League Title Battle

Aston Villa confront a stern test against Chelsea on Saturday following their push into the Premier League title contention with Arsenal and Manchester City.

The leading Gunners, who topped the standings over Christmas, welcome Brighton, whereas Pep Guardiola's strong Manchester City side head to Nottingham Forest.

Liverpool's Arne Slot deals with a forward shortage after Alexander Isak broke his leg, and Manchester United's Bruno Fernandes must sit out for a while too.

AFP Sport examines three key discussion points before the holiday fixtures:

Rogers Drives Villas Push

Unai Emerys third ranked Villa remain viewed as unlikely contenders for the Premier League crown despite trailing leaders Arsenal by only three points.

Villas 2-1 victory at home over Manchester United marked their tenth straight win across all tournaments, the first such streak for them as a top division side since 1914.

A primary factor in their current surge is the performance of England midfielder Morgan Rogers, who managed zero goal contributions in his initial seven outings across competitions.

His fortunes have turned dramatically: he boasts 11 goal involvements over his last 15 games, with the calibre of his strikes standing out.

Rogers has scored seven Premier League goals this term from a mere 2.86 expected goals, a figure indicating the probability of finishing opportunities.

Yet analysts at Opta rate Villas odds of claiming the English title for the first time since 1981 at just five percent.

Emerys squad can quiet the sceptics in their upcoming clash with fourth placed Chelsea, followed swiftly by a trip to Arsenal.

Slots Striker Dilemma

Early in the campaign, Arne Slot might have pictured Mohamed Salah and Alexander Isak as prime attacking options for Liverpool.

Presently, the Anfield manager lacks both, as Salah joins Egypt for the Africa Cup of Nations and Isak endures at least two months out following his leg fracture versus Tottenham.

Slot has restored stability after a dismal sequence of six losses in seven Premier League outings that damaged the champions title hopes.

Three victories and two draws in their most recent five league matches have propelled Liverpool to fifth position, though worries linger about goal sources before hosting last placed Wolves.

Without Isak, more burden falls on leading marksman Hugo Ekitike.

This new arrival has struck eight times in the Premier League, double the output of Salah and Cody Gakpo.

Fernandes Setback Hits Man Utd

Bruno Fernandes has shone brightly and appeared almost constantly amid Manchester Uniteds tough recent spells.

However, Ruben Amorim must prepare for life without his key player after the Portuguese midfielder seemed to suffer a hamstring issue during Uniteds 2-1 loss at Villa Park.

Though the full extent remains uncertain, Amorim has confirmed Fernandes absence from Fridays Old Trafford match against Newcastle, alongside other missing players, prompting the manager to call on the team to rise up without their irreplaceable skipper.

"Its huge," said defender Diogo Dalot to Sky Sports. "We are unsure of the severity but for him to leave the pitch, given his resilience, it tells us plenty."

The creative Fernandes has tallied five goals and seven assists in the Premier League this season for the uneven United, who also miss leading scorer Bryan Mbeumo, away with Cameroon at the Africa Cup of Nations.

Schedule:

Friday

Manchester United versus Newcastle (2000 GMT)

Saturday (1500 GMT unless noted)

Nottingham Forest versus Manchester City (1230), Arsenal versus Brighton, Brentford versus Bournemouth, Burnley versus Everton, Liverpool versus Wolverhampton, West Ham versus Fulham, Chelsea versus Aston Villa (1730)

Sunday

Sunderland versus Leeds (1400), Crystal Palace versus Tottenham (1630)