Aston Villa have been dealt a blow ahead of their Premier League clash with Chelsea on Monday.
Villa have been in excellent form of late, climbing above Chelsea with a 3-0 win over Crystal Palace on Boxing Day despite having just 10 men for much of the game.
Meanwhile, Chelsea were stunned by out-of-form London rivals Arsenal, losing 3-1 at the Emirates Stadium to drop to seventh place in the Premier League table.
But on Monday, they have the chance to climb back above Villa with a home win and they may be helped by the absence of one of the Midlands club's most influential players.
That's because Tyrone Mings was the player who was sent off in Villa's win over Crystal Palace, leaving him suspended for the trip to Stamford Bridge. Mings was sent off with two yellow cards meaning he receives a one-game suspension which Villa cannot appeal.
As he has been for the last two seasons, Mings has been pivotal for Villa this season, and the clash with Chelsea is the first time Dean Smith will have to cope without his star defender, who has featured in all 13 Premier League games so far this season.
Smith has put together the second-best defence in the league this season, conceding just 13 goals in as many games, second to only Manchester City, who have conceded 12.
But that will be put to the test with the loss of Mings, who is the leader in that back-line, which also usually includes Matty Cash, Kortney Hause and Matt Targett.
Chelsea will be looking to take advantage of Mings' absence but to do that they will need to improve their form, having lost three of their last four games heading into the upcoming contest.
