Crystal Palace are without a host of key players due to injury, as Roy Hodgson faces a potentially decisive challenge against Chelsea in the Premier League on Monday night.
Roy Hodgson will be desperate for his Crystal Palace side to bounce back after the damning defeat to Brighton last week, as Mauricio Pochettino’s inconsistent Chelsea XI pay a visit to Selhurst Park.
The Blues will feel some confidence after beating Aston Villa on Wednesday in the FA Cup, as they hope to get their league form back on track, sitting in 11th with only nine wins from 23.
For Palace, it’s a chance for Hodgson’s side to show their worth for the sake of the manager, as he continues to receive criticism following the Eagles’ 4-1 defeat last week amid a poor run of form.
The last time the two sides met, Chelsea claimed all three points in the 89th minute at Stamford Bridge thanks to a penalty, deciding the result after goals from Mykhailo Mudryk and Michael Olise.
Unfortunately for Palace, the hosts will be without the brilliance of their goalscorer last time they played Chelsea, as Michael Olise’s cameo last week ended in a disaster.
With seven expected to be out for the fixture, including Marc Guehi, Olise, Jesurun Rak-Sakyi and Eberechi Eze, Hodgson will make some changes to his squad for both injury and tactical reasons.
Here’s our Crystal Palace predicted lineup against Chelsea…
Crystal Palace predicted XI vs Chelsea
In goal, Dean Henderson is expected to start between the posts, standing alone behind a makeshift back four after the news of Marc Guehi’s injury against Brighton.
Tyrick Mitchell and Daniel Munoz should get the nod in the full-back positions, with Joachim Andersen and Chris Richards the most likely pairing to join forces at centre-back in place of the injured Guehi.
By dropping Richards into defence, a vacancy could open up for Adam Wharton to make his full debut for the Eagles, a week after his first appearance for the club after signing from Blackburn Rovers.
Jefferson Lerma could be the partner for the youngster in the holding pivot, with Will Hughes sitting in the more advanced central midfield role to attempt to battle Chelsea’s lucrative engine room.
In place of the absent Olise, vibrant young gem Matheus Franca could hand Hodgson the spark he will miss from the Frenchman in place of Jeffrey Schlupp who has been poor in recent weeks.
On the opposite flank to Franca comes Jordan Ayew, who has the ability to threaten when on the ball with two goals and six assists in all competitions this season.
The manager will have a debate to decide who to unleash up front, with Jean-Philippe Mateta getting the slight edge over Odsonne Edouard after his goal last week against Brighton.
Full Predicted XI: Henderson; Mitchell, Richards, Andersen, Munoz; Lerma, Wharton; Schlupp, Hughes, Ayew; Mateta
