Chelsea make the trip to the West Midlands to face Aston Villa on Saturday evening looking to strengthen their grip of fourth position in the Premier League table, report agencies. Meanwhile, Villa begin the weekend sitting in 19th position having suffered four successive defeats in the top flight.
Throughout the campaign, Frank Lampard has reiterated his frustration over the Blues failing to deliver complete performances, with numerous instances of mistakes in defence and attack-minded players not taking chances in the final third. The upturn in results has been a consequence of Chelsea being more decisive in both areas, especially at the back where clean sheets have been in short supply.
The improvements have coincided with Billy Gilmour's introduction into the starting lineup as the academy graduate makes up for his short stature with performances which have helped bring a calmness to his elder teammates.
The 18-year-old has brought simplicity and more discipline to Chelsea's play, which has allowed the likes of Ross Barkley and Mason Mount to flourish in their preferred positions in the centre of the pitch.
Whether that will continue when the likes of Jorginho, N'Golo Kante and Mateo Kovacic return to the fold remains to be seen, but there can be no doubt that Gilmour has now earned his place in the team on merit.
The same can be said of Olivier Giroud, who has now made five starts in succession due to Tammy Abraham's injury and Michy Batshuayi failing to take his chance against Manchester United last month.
Although the Frenchman only has two goals to his name during that period, his presence at either end of the pitch is a big reason why Chelsea appear to be on an upward trajectory.
Ahead of the meeting with his former club, there has been talk of Villa assistant John Terry replacing Dean Smith in the managerial hotseat after a run of five successive defeats in all competitions.
While Villa impressed during the EFL Cup final against Manchester City, Monday's 4-0 setback at the hands of Leicester City has seemingly led to the club's hierarchy considering their options.
Despite the level of their opponents, it has been claimed that Smith must record a positive result in order to keep his job as Villa sit two points adrift of safety.
The Villans have a game in hand against Sheffield United which will be played later in the campaign, but Smith knows that his players need to show signs of improvement.
