Chelsea and Aston Villa have been facing off against one another for well over 100 years now, with their first encounter coming all the way back in 1903 – a league game that ended 0-0.
Football FanCast has everything you need to know as the two teams prepare to meet once again in the Premier League.
We may still be relatively early on in the league season at the moment, but given that Chelsea have already played six games in all competitions and Villa seven, we can start to take their early form into account when looking forward to upcoming fixtures.
For the Blues, the form book does not make for pretty reading. One win in five in the league, a goal difference of zero and just four points above the drop zone, Mauricio Pochettino's men should be going into a home game full of confidence, but that couldn't be further from the case at the moment.
For their part, Villa have corrected what was a horror start away to Newcastle United and have now won three games in the league, which leaves them just four points off of top four. Unai Emery looks to have got the team clicking again and should be relishing the opportunity to play the Blues in their current guise.
Chelsea vs Aston Villa: What's their head-to-head record?
Including their initial meeting in 1907, Chelsea and Aston Villa have played one another a staggering 162 times over the ensuing 116 years.
For such a staple fixture in English football, it has remained remarkably even over the years, with Chelsea only just ever so slightly edging it, coming away with a win on 66 occasions compared to Villa's 60 wins.
That said, there have been periods of dominance for both teams in this tie, with the Villans generally getting the better of their West London opponents in the early years and vice versa since the 1990s.
Chelsea Wins
66
Draws
35
Aston Villa Wins
60
Chelsea vs Aston Villa: What's their record at Stamford Bridge?
Well, while the overall scorecard on this fixture shows a generally even affair between the sides, that certainly isn't the case when the games have taken place at Stamford Bridge.
At home, Chelsea have been by far the more dominant side – as you'd expect them to be – coming away with 42 wins from 80 games, or a win rate of 52.5%.
On the other hand, Villa have only managed to win 23 of their games in West London, giving them a win rate of just 28.75%.
Draws have been even less common, with the points being shared just 15 times – or 18.75% of the time.
Chelsea Wins
42
Draws
15
Aston Villa
23
Chelsea vs Aston Villa: What's their record at Villa Park?
They may have a poor record away from home, but when they're playing host, Villa have a much better time of it against the Blues.
Out of the 78 games between the two sides that have taken place in the West Midlands, the hosts have emerged with maximum points 36 times, giving them a win rate of 46.1%.
For their part, Chelsea have an ever so slightly worse away record than their Claret and Blue opponents, winning 22 games on the road, giving them a win rate of 28.2% – we did say ever so slightly.
Draws are a more typical result in Birmingham as well, with 20 of the 78 games ending with the points shared.
Chelsea Wins
22
Draws
20
Aston Villa Wins
36
Chelsea vs Aston Villa: What's their record at neutral grounds?
The two sides have met on neutral ground three times over the years, with all three coming in the FA Cup.
The first meeting occurred in 1920 at Bramall Lane for an FA Cup semi-final. The game was won 3-1 by Villa, who went on to face and beat Huddersfield Town in the final a month later.
The second encounter was in the 2000 FA Cup final, held at the old Wembley. The game was a nervy affair, but one that Chelsea eventually won thanks to a single goal in the 73rd minute from Roberto Di Matteo.
The most recent meeting was again in an FA Cup semi-final, this time in April 2010. Unlike the final a decade earlier, this was an altogether more straightforward affair for the Blues as goals from Didier Drogba, Florent Malouda, and Frank Lampard secured them their spot in the showpiece event a month later – a game they would win 1-0.
Chelsea Wins
2
Draws
0
Aston Villa Wins
1
Chelsea vs Aston Villa: Which team has scored more goals?
For as balanced as everything else has been between these two sides, it shouldn't be a surprise that even their goal scoring record in this fixture is relatively balanced as well.
In total, there have been 481 goals in the 162 games that the two sides have played against one another, giving fans a pretty impressive ratio of 2.96 goals per game for over a century.
Chelsea have scored slightly more than Villa with 252 – or 1.55 per game – but the Villans have still scored an impressive 229 – 1.41 per game.
Chelsea Goals
252
Aston Villa Goals
229
Chelsea vs Aston Villa: What happened in last season's fixtures?
Both teams came away with a win from this fixture last season; interestingly, both wins went to the away team in both fixtures.
The first game took place in October and was one of then-manager Graham Potter's first games in charge of Chelsea. The Blues went to Villa Park off the back of four wins on the bounce, form which showed in the game as Mason Mount scored two to extend their winning run.
Villa would get revenge when they travelled to West London in April under the guidance of new boss Emery. Goals from Ollie Watkins and John McGinn were enough to hand the Villans all three points and a 2-0 win.
Chelsea vs Aston Villa: What is Chelsea's biggest win?
Labelling Chelsea's win over Villa in December 2012 'big' might be a big understatement. In all, the Blues put eight past their Birmingham opponents at Stamford Bridge while keeping a clean sheet of their own.
The scoring was opened by the much-maligned Fernando Torres, who got on the end of a cross from Cesar Azpilicuta to head Chelsea in front within three minutes. Defenders David Luiz and Branislav Ivanovic added two more to take the Blues into the break, three goals to the good.
Things went from bad to worse for the Villans in the second half; from the 60th minute to the 90th, they conceded another five goals. The scorers of the other goals were Frank Lampard, Eden Hazard, Oscar, and Ramires, who ended the game with a brace.
Unfortunately for the visitors, this was the second time they suffered such a capitulation away to Chelsea within as many years, after their 7-1 defeat at the Bridge in March 2010.
Chelsea vs Aston Villa: What is Aston Villa's biggest win?
While the Blues might have put Villa to the sword more recently, it was the Claret and Blue that were the first ones to emerge from this fixture as runaway victors.
In April 1952, Villa played Chelsea off the park at Villa Park, putting seven past Bill Robertson in goal and only conceding one in the process.
The scoring was opened by Johnny Dixon before Colin Gibson added a double, Billy Goffin scored a hat-trick, and Davy Walsh finished things off with one.
Chelsea vs Aston Villa: What are the recent results?
The last ten games in this fixture have largely seen Chelsea dominate Villa, winning seven and drawing one. That said, Emery's men emerged victorious last time out when they beat Chelsea 2-0 at the Bridge.
However, before last season, the last time Villa managed to beat Chelsea in West London was back in 2011 and 2002 before that – so it hasn't been a happy hunting ground for the Claret and Blue.
Can Villa take advantage of Chelsea's faltering form and add a second win at the Bridge in as many years?
Chelsea vs Aston Villa: When is it?
Chelsea host Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, September 24th at 2pm British Summer Time. While there isn't a traditional rivalry between these two like there is with Sunday's other game, it is still a staple of English top flight football and should, as it always does, provide us with a thrilling encounter and plenty of action as both sides have something to prove.
For Chelsea, this game is the perfect opportunity to restart their season with a statement win over one of the sides many have tipped to challenge the traditional 'big six' this year. Whereas, for Villa, the game against Chelsea represents a great chance to prove to the rest of the league that they are a serious threat to the traditional powerhouses and that the surrounding hype is real.
In all, this should be an excellent game for fans of the sides and neutrals, with both sides having something to fight for.
