Chelsea coach Avram Grant could be forced to turn to third-choice goalkeeper Hilario for the Boxing Day clash with Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge.

Petr Cech sustained a side strain in Sunday's 1-0 victory at Blackburn, while Carlo Cudicini is out with a training-ground rib injury.

If Cech is forced out, Chelsea will be missing the spine of their team as John Terry and Didier Drogba remain on the sidelines with foot and knee injuries respectively.

Aston Villa midfielder Stiliyan Petrov is pushing hard for a recall to the starting line-up.

Petrov made his comeback as a substitute against Manchester City last weekend after missing the previous two games with a hamstring strain.

The Bulgaria international is challenging his former Celtic team-mate, Shaun Maloney, for a starting role in the Villa midfield.