Chelsea vs Crystal Palace- Preview

Frank Lampard and his young Blues will look to make it six wins on the trot against cross town rivals Crystal Palace when the two sides clash on Saturday. It will be an emotional affair for Gary Cahill who returns to the Stamford Bridge for the first after having spent years at the club prior to his summer transfer to the Eagles. Chelsea could go as high as second in the table given that other results go in their favour.

Frank Lampard’s Press Conference

Lampard was quick to mention the importance of his side getting back to the basics after a roller coaster ride of game against Ajax in the midweek. N’Golo Kante will be back in the scheme of things after a prolonged absence due to a thigh problem. Frank has also confirmed that his side will be without the services of Antonio Rüdiger for longer than it was earlier thought as the German will now have to undergo another minor procedure on his current knee injury and could be out for as long as three weeks. Ross Barkley and Andreas Christensen have made good strides towards attaining match fitness whilst Ruben Loftus Cheek is still out due to his long term injury.

Chelsea Vs Crystal Palace- Head to Head

The Eagles have won four out the 12 meetings between the two sides since there return to top flight action in 2013/14. The most memorable victory perhaps was a 2-1 upset they pulled off against Antonio Conte’s champions elect in 2016/17 season.

Chelsea Predicted Line Up: The Blues will be without the services of their vice-captain Jorginho who is serving a one match suspension because of his yellow card pile up. N’Golo Kante is expected to replace him in the middle of the park although going by Frank’s press conference it may also result in a change of formation.

Chelsea’s Predicted XI

Photo Courtesy: www.buildlineup.com

Players to Watch Out For

Tammy Abraham: The young Englishmam hasn’t looked back since his match winning brace against Norwich. He is currently the joint runner up in the top scoring charts alongside Sergio Aguero. With a goal and assist in the previous game under his belt, expect some fireworks from him in this game.

Christian Pulisic: Das American has been the match winner for Frank Lampard’s side in the previous two games. A hat trick against Burnley and the winner last week against the Hornets are testament to the quality he brings to the table. His pace and trickery should come in real handy against Gary Cahill and Co. Who are not that agile.

Keep The Blue Flag Flying High!!!

- Suraj Jha