Crystal Palace will be looking to bounce back to winning ways in the Premier League on Sunday when they travel to Stamford Bridge to face Chelsea.
The Eagles have been inconsistent through the season and lie 12th in the table. They suffered a 4-0 battering at the hands of Tottenham in the Premier League, before being dumped out of the FA Cup by Southampton at Selhurst Park last weekend.
The performances in the last two games haven’t been up to the mark and manager Patrick Vieira would want to see improvement from his team against Chelsea, who have won just once in their last five league games and come into this game on the back of a 2-1 defeat to Fulham.
Tyrick Mitchell is available for the trip to Stamford Bridge after serving his three-game ban. James McArthur (groin) and Nathan Ferguson (match fitness) should sit out the game against Chelsea, meaning Patrick Vieira doesn’t seem to have any fresh injury concerns ahead of Sunday’s fixture.
Goalkeeper
Vicente Guaita is Crystal Palace’s undisputed first-choice goalkeeper and should start against Chelsea under normal circumstances.
Defence
Ahead of Guaita, a back four of Nathaniel Clyne, Joachim Andersen, Marc Guehi and Tyrick Mitchell are expected to start. Mitchell walks straight back into the starting XI and takes the left-back spot from Clyne, who will be moved over to the right. This means Joel Ward drops down to the bench.
Andersen and Guehi form the central defensive pairing at the back, and the duo must stay focused throughout the 90 minutes to keep the Chelsea forwards at bay on Sunday.
Midfield
Starting in the No.6 role will be Cheick Doucoure, whose main job will be to shield the Palace backline. His presence will allow the likes of Eberechi Eze and Jeffrey Schlupp to get more into attacking positions and help the team during transitions.
The trio of Doucoure, Schlupp and Eze have to be not only smart in possession but also diligent without the ball. Will Hughes and Luka Milivojevic will have to settle for spots on the bench and hope to make an impact in the second half if called upon.
Attack
Wilfried Zaha is Palace’s best player, capable of changing the course of the game in a blink of an eye. He is a certainty on the left flank, with Michael Olise providing creativity, width and dynamism from the right.
Jordan Ayew should get the nod over Odsonne Edouard and Jean-Philippe Mateta to lead the Palace attack. He will be licking his lips at the prospect of facing a Chelsea defence leaking goals for fun of late.
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