Chelsea vs Crystal Palace - Match Preview

Eden Hazard to start?

Chelsea will be desperate to bounce back from their 3-2 defeat at Stoke last weekend and a home game against relative strugglers Crystal Palace could be primed for that. That being said Palace have been experiencing a mini-revival under their new manager Tony Pulis and will likely be stubborn opposition.

Team news

Chelsea

In a busy December month in which Chelsea will play nine games in total, it is certain that Jose Mourinho will ring the changes. We can expect Mourinho to interchange his attacking midfield three, whilst there could be changes up top. David Luiz and Oscarmight also return to the fold.

Palace

Other than the slight possibility that Dean Moxey may miss out through the hamstring injury sustained against Cardiff, Palace have no new real injury concerns other than the continued absences of long term injury stricken players. Tony Pulis should opt for a similar side to the one he’s used in recent weeks, given his sides improvement in form.

Predicted line-ups

Chelsea

Jose Mourinho has been tinkering with his side throughout the campaign and this should be no exception. Demba Ba scored the solitary goal for Chelsea so we can expect him to perhaps continue up top. Ashley Cole might also continue in an unchanged back line given that Chelsea kept a rare clean-sheet, although it’s likely Petr Cech will return in goal.

Palace

There is no real reason for Tony Pulis to change the team that played so well against Cardiff last weekend. That being said the 4-4-2 formation may be a bit to open to play away at Chelsea. Pulis may feel, however, that Chelsea can be got at and even then we might see Cameron Jermone drop off at times.

Recent form

Chelsea had won three on the spin before a shock defeat at Stoke. The West London club have been inconsistent this season but generally speaking they’ve been getting results at home, having won all their home fixtures in the league barring the 2-2 draw with West Brom.

Crystal Palace are experiencing a mini revival under Tony Pulis. The former Stoke boss has won back to back games since taking over the relegation threatened side who are now level on points with 17th place West Ham.

Players to watch

Chelsea - Eden Hazard

Hazard has really emerged as a top player for Chelsea in recent weeks. Both in the Premier League and more recently showing an improvement in Europe. Chelsea can struggle to break teams down who defend deep, as Tony Pulis’ side will. Having a player like Hazard who can turn his man and run at the defence can open up space and cause problems. Against Steaua Bucharest for example he completed eight out of an attempted eleven take-ons:

Pulis’ side will probably not be pushovers at the back and it could be the individual quality of Eden Hazard, as a genuine match winner, that tips the game in Chelsea’s favour. If he turns up he is crucial to Chelsea’s hopes in absolutely every game that they play.

Palace - Jason Puncheon

Puncheon was excellent in the recent 2-0 victory over Cardiff City. The winger came off the right hand side to great effect and even registered an assist. Puncheon also completed three out of five attempted take-ons. Getting at Chelsea down the flanks might be the best way to cause the home side problems and Palace will be well equipped to do this if they can get a good performance out of Puncheon.

Predicted score

2-0 home win. Chelsea’s home form has been good and despite a resurgence from Palace, the home side should just be too strong for the visitors. That being said, Tony Pulis’ sides are known for being hard to beat and we might see a stubborn performance from the away side.