Chelsea’s loss of Diego Costa through suspension may be compounded by the absence of Cesc Fàbregas against Aston Villa and Everton, with the Spain midfielder still struggling to recover from a hamstring complaint.

Fàbregas, one of the leaders’ most consistent performers this season, sustained the injury during the second leg of Capital One Cup semi-final against Liverpool last week and watched Saturday’s draw with Manchester City alongside the suspended Costa in the stands. The midfielder has been training alone with a club physio in the period since in an effort to return to full fitness, yet there are concerns that he will not be ready for the two forthcoming Premier League games. As a result, he may not be risked until the Champions League knockout tie at Paris Saint-Germain on 17 February.

Ramires, one of two Chelsea players sent off at Villa Park in a 1-0 defeat last season, stepped in for Fàbregas against the champions, with Chelsea confident Mikel John Obi will have recovered from a head injury in time to feature this weekend. The Nigerian midfielder trained alongside the new £23.3m signing, Juan Cuadrado, at Cobham on Wednesday.

The Colombian, who played for Fiorentina in the Europa League this season, will be contention for the game at Villa and has been included in Chelsea’s Premier League and Champions League squad lists.