Aston Villa take on Chelsea in the Premier League this afternoon, with Steven Gerrard’s side desperate for three points.

They currently occupy 16th in the table, and with pressure mounting on the 42-year-old, facing a rejuvenated Chelsea side is a task that he wouldn't have wanted to face at this stage in the season.

A 1-1 draw in their last match against Nottingham Forest saw some decent individual performances - particularly from Ashley Young, who received a SofaScore rating of 7.6 - and they might rue the fact they didn’t pick up all three points at the City Ground.

One player who Gerrard should unleash today is Emiliano Buendia, as the 25-year-old can provide the spark that his team needs.

The £75k-per-week star, who was dubbed an “amazing talent” by his manager, impressed against Forest in his last outing. He averaged a 7.4 rating via SofaScore, having 67 touches and completing 90% of his attempted passes, and was a general threat every time that he was on the ball.

During the Villans' second league match of the season against Everton in August, Buendia came off the bench to replace Philippe Coutinho and was outstanding in his 30-minute cameo, scoring once and making three key passes.

Gregg Evans was amongst those campaigning for the Argentine to start in Villa's subsequent game against Crystal Palace, tweeting: “Emi Buendia is a little bit more exciting than Philippe Coutinho right now. He seems to want it more + he’s producing more when he’s on the pitch. Deserves a start for #AVFC at #CPFC.”

The 25-year-old has only started three league matches so far this season, but he has created two big chances in the campaign and averaged one key pass per match, which suggests that he should be unleashed against Chelsea.

With Leon Bailey not yet 100% following a recent injury, Buendia is the most logical choice to take up the right-wing role for Villa today.

It will be a tough match, especially with Graham Potter leading Chelsea to four consecutive wins, and Gerrard's side will need to be operating at their full potential to claim a crucial three points. Unleashing the ex-Norwich maestro from the off would appear to be a good start.