Chelsea managed to slay their demons of 2012 by winning the Club World Cup last weekend but they must swiftly redirect their focus back to the Premier League.
The Blues have gotten a full week’s rest and they will now face Crystal Palace on Saturday. Viera’s side might not have the results going their way but the players have been playing some pretty neat football under their French boss.
The Eagles have not won in the previous five league outings so at least on paper, Chelsea should be winning this one easily. But, the Blues have not been in the best of forms in recent weeks. The CWC might have shadowed their poor form but in reality, Thomas Tuchel have won just one out of their previous five league games.
Tuchel’s forward players are also misfiring to some extent but at least his defence has been really solid so Palace will find it really difficult to find the back of the net on Saturday. The manager does have a few injury concerns but he has a big enough squad to not be worried about choosing a strong line up.
Chelsea’s team news vs Crystal Palace:
Edouard Mendy was back in goal for CWC final and the Senegalese international will hold onto his place this weekend.
Thiago Silva will pair up with Antonio Rudiger and Christensen in central defence but the manager also has the option of using Trevoh Chalobah or Malang Sarr.
Callum Hudson-Odoi played as the left wing-back in the final but Marcos Alonso will come into the side against Palace since Ben Chilwell remains a long-term absentee.
N’Golo Kante is expected to be rested keeping in mind the Champions League game next week meaning Jorginho and Mateo Kovacic will pair up in central midfield.
Cesar Azpilicueta has NEVER made a mistake that has led to a goal in the Premier League…
He has been at Chelsea for NINE years.
Ridiculous 🤯 pic.twitter.com/B11mCeUe9Z
— Sporting Index (@sportingindex) February 15, 2022
Mason Mount left the final on crutches after picking up an ankle injury and he’s expected to be out for a few weeks. This means Hakim Ziyech or Pulisic will come back into the side and play in the Mount role, just behind the centre-forward.
Kai Havertz was the star of the show against Palmeiras and he will hold onto his place with Romelu Lukaku playing ahead of him. This means Timo Werner will be the one to miss out.
Chelsea face Lille in the Champions League Round of 16 next week so Thomas Tuchel could make a few surprising changes to his first XI if he keeps some of his players need to be protected from an unwanted injury.
Chelsea predicted line up vs Crystal Palace:
Predicted Starting Line up(3-4-2-1): Edouard Mendy; Silva, Christensen, Rudiger; Jorginho, Kovacic, Azpilicueta, Marcos Alonso; Ziyech/Pulisic, Havertz; Romelu Lukaku.
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Stats via Fotmob.
