Aston Villa return to long-awaited Premier League action today, but face a tough test as they travel to the capital to face a resurgent Chelsea side.

The Blues had enjoyed a fine turnaround under Graham Potter but were halted last time out against Sean Dyche's resilient Everton. He has provided the blueprint for all visiting sides seeking to snatch some points from Stamford Bridge, and Unai Emery will look to build upon it further.

Having impressed since joining, the Spaniard is seeking to further separate his side from the eight teams embroiled in a relegation battle and push the Villans ever closer to an unlikely European push.

Surprisingly, these sides actually sit on the same points after 27 games, effectively making this a huge mid-table six-pointer.

To truly give themselves the best possible chance of winning, the Midlands outfit will have to be resolute at the back and clinical in the final third. As such, perhaps it could merit a recall for Lucas Digne in the place of Alex Moreno.

Will Lucas Digne start for Aston Villa?

Although the Frenchman has not had the desired impact since moving from Merseyside, having been signed by former manager Steven Gerrard, the £160k-per-week full-back remains a quality creative asset who is bound to come good eventually.

Perhaps starting him in a game of this magnitude could be the vote of faith needed to reignite the form that saw him revered by the Toffees.

During his final full season at Goodison Park, he provided seven assists for a side that finished decidedly in mid-table, outlining just how important he could be contributing to the attack.

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His offensive impetus could prove key in exploiting Chelsea's big weakness, which coincidentally is down the flanks.

Although they have been somewhat toothless going forward, they boast one of the best defences in the league this season. However, given the three-at-the-back system that Potter prefers, it often surrenders plenty of space out wide; especially with Reece James and Ben Chilwell pushing on.

Therefore, Digne could look to overlap into that space, and with that cutting edge, he could be clinical enough to provide a killer blow.

He has maintained 0.8 key passes per game in a season where he is averaging just 65 minutes per outing, as per Sofascore. Especially when he'll be supplementing the red-hot Ollie Watkins, who boasts seven goal contributions across his last eight appearances.

Digne's experience will also help him know when the right time to push forward is, which his former Toffees boss Marco Silva lauded during his debut year in England. He said:

"Fantastic football player, a fantastic professional, works always with a big ambition, and he’s a winner – he likes to win, not just in the matches but in every training session as well."

With Moreno posting the worst rating of any of Emery's starters last time out, this switch seems like the natural decision to exploit that space in behind, so the Spaniard must look to unleash the decisive 29-year-old today.