Graham Potter, the former Chelsea manager, has revealed what Unai Emery said to him following his final game in charge of the Blues. Aston Villa won 2-0 at Stamford Bridge in April 2023, which proved to be the final straw for Chelsea, who fired Solihull-born Potter the following day.

Potter told TheHigh Performance Podcast: “We lost to Aston Villa. We lost the game, and that was our final game. My assistant is friends with Unai, and Unai said, ‘You played brilliantly, pushed us back, and you didn’t deserve to lose.'” Emery’s side was clinical that day, netting two of their five shots, while Chelsea failed to convert on 27 tries.

The Villans will be looking for a repeat of the result from a year and a half ago, but this time with a performance to match, as they face a newly revitalized Blues team led by Enzo Maresca. Villa are seventh in the Premier League and have not won in four games, while Maresca’s side is unbeaten in their last four and sits third. Emery’s Lions face Juventus before their travel to the capital on Sunday afternoon, capping off a difficult week of fixtures leading up to Christmas.