Chelsea and Aston Villa experts in total agreement over Cole Palmer and Morgan Rogers debate

It is the Cole Palmer vs Morgan Rogers show at Stamford Bridge on Saturday evening and we take a closer look at the Chelsea and Aston Villa stars

Chelsea welcome Aston Villa to Stamford Bridge on Saturday evening in a huge match for both sides as they look to keep pace with the Premier League's best. It is set to be a thrilling showdown; not least because of Cole Palmer and Morgan Rogers coming up against each other.

Palmer is widely viewed as one of the best in the league in his position but has not been able to produce his best form this season. That is largely down to his fitness, with the England international struggling with a persistent groin injury, while Rogers has flourished for Villa.

The two former Manchester City academy stars, who are close friends, are set to battle it out for a space in the England side for the World Cup in the summer. So, we thought it was fitting to get the thoughts of football.london's Chelsea reporter Bobby Vincent and Birmingham Live's Aston Villa correspondent John Townley on the battle between the two attackers at Stamford Bridge.

Bobby Vincent - Chelsea reporter

The fact there is even a debate over whether Cole Palmer should be going to the World Cup in the summer is bizarre. Understandable in many ways, but bizarre nonetheless.

The 23-year-old has not been able to get going at all this season - to no fault of his own. A persistent groin injury has held Palmer back so far, with the England international making just eight appearances for Chelsea in all competitions. Palmer has only scored three goals in that time, so from Thomas Tuchel’s perspective, there must be a bit of a concern that the Blues talisman will not be the best version of himself by the time the summer comes around.

Palmer has made just one appearance for the Three Lions since Tuchel’s appointment at the start of 2025. The former Manchester City man has been unavailable for three squads Tuchel has chosen and will be desperate to be fit and ready for when England play two friendly matches in the space of four days against Uruguay and Japan at the end of March.

That international break in March is imperative for Palmer to impress his national team manager. It will be the last time he can do that before Tuchel chooses the squad for the World Cup a few months after.

Palmer has immense competition for his place, with the likes of Morgan Rogers and Jude Bellingham battling it out for the No.10 spot in Tuchel’s XI. The Chelsea attacker can also play on the right wing, and has played some of his best football at Stamford Bridge there, but Bukayo Saka, a favourite of Tuchel’s, is likely to occupy that role in the World Cup.

Palmer vs Rogers is an interesting dynamic given their close friendship and even more prevalent because Chelsea welcome Aston Villa to Stamford Bridge on Saturday.

Rogers comes into the Premier League fixture in the form of his career. The 23-year-old, who played with Palmer during their days at Manchester City and also worked under Enzo Maresca, has scored seven goals in the league this season for the high-flying Villa and that includes four in his last two. They all tend to be screamers as well - he is playing with such confidence that it looks incredibly difficult to nullify him.

Since the start of the 2024/25 season, Palmer has scored two more goals than his mate, but Rogers has recorded five more assists, though has played over 1000 more minutes than the Chelsea attacker. Palmer has created 94 chances compared to Rogers’ 68 (2.4 per 90 compared to 1.3) - something Tuchel will be hoping for from his No.10 as he looks to take England to World Cup glory for just the second time.

Rogers is fantastic and deserves a spot in the England squad - there is no doubt. But Palmer is the magic man. He is the difference in big games. He is everything and he could be England's everything.

It is a really intriguing battle between two footballers supporters pay their money to see. Not only a battle for that place in the England side, but you also can’t help but feel whoever plays better when Chelsea take on Aston Villa, will inspire their team to victory.

John Townley - Aston Villa reporter

Not starting Jude Bellingham, Cole Palmer or Phil Foden at the World Cup would be a major talking point this summer, but Thomas Tuchel would be even braver to leave Morgan Rogers on the bench.

The 23-year-old must be involved in Premier League Player of the Season discussions if he maintains the form he has shown over the past couple of months at Aston Villa.

Capable of winning games on his own, Rogers’ performances in recent weeks have fuelled Villa’s remarkable rise after a slow start to the campaign. His individual surge has mirrored the club’s collective improvement, underlining his importance to one of the form teams in European football.

After beating Manchester United, Villa are now on a 10-match winning run in all competitions, with Rogers scoring seven times during that stretch. In three of those matches, he netted braces - the 2-1 win at Leeds, the dramatic 3-2 victory at West Ham, and last weekend’s 2-1 triumph over United.

Rogers’ first goal of the campaign was a thunderous strike against Tottenham, leaving Guglielmo Vicario helpless as the ball soared over him and dipped under the crossbar. A similar technique sealed victory at Elland Road a month later, when he found the net with a second half free-kick.

His goal at West Ham was his finest yet - until last weekend. Driving forward from midfield, Rogers caught Alphonse Areola off his line and delicately lifted the ball over the French goalkeeper to turn the game on its head at the London Stadium.

While the forward’s second goal against Manchester United was a composed finish, his opener against the Red Devils should be a goal of the season contender. Cutting inside from the left, Rogers bent a sensational effort into the top corner from a difficult angle.

The sheer quality of his last three goals highlights the talent Tuchel simply cannot afford to overlook. Those strikes carry a combined expected goals (xG) value of just 0.11. Bolts from the blue.

Yet Rogers is far more than an xG outlier. Since the start of last season, only Mohamed Salah (21) and Bruno Fernandes (17) have registered more Premier League assists than Rogers (13). Meanwhile, only Salah (54), Fernandes (30), Erling Haaland (48) and Alexander Isak (29) have been involved in more league goals than the Villa forward (28) during that period.

Rogers’ ability to carry the ball at speed, commit defenders and drive his team up the pitch is central to his impact. Only four players in the Premier League have completed more dribbles than the former Manchester City man.

Already directly involved in more Premier League goals than any other English player across the opening 17 matchdays of the season, Rogers is also the youngest player to score 20 or more goals for a Premier League club since the start of last campaign.

Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka is almost a shoo-in on the right side of England’s attack, which is bad news for Palmer. Bellingham’s place may also be under serious threat, given Rogers’ current form.

What works in Rogers’ favour is his ability to operate across several roles in the team, something he has done under Unai Emery for the past 18 months. He is arguably at his best when starting from the left, drifting inside to occupy central areas and allowing the left-back to push on and provide width.

While Thomas Tuchel has not used this approach too much in previous England matches, the number 10 role looks set to be a straight fight between Rogers, Bellingham and Palmer.