Chelsea will host a revitalised Crystal Palace on Saturday afternoon, with the Blues looking to satisfy Jose Mourinho’s wish for a more clinical performance.
The Portuguese manager has been critical of the Chelsea strike force of late; with Torres, Ba and Eto’o having only scored four goals between them in the Premier League. The Palace match at the Bridge will be a great chance for one of the three to impress both their manager and the baying fans.
Chelsea Team News:
Defence: Despite Ashley Cole coming through Wednesday’s win over Steaua Bucharest unscathed, Cesar Azpilicueta is in line for a recall in order to ease the England international’s workload.
David Luiz helped the Blues to their first clean sheet in months in the Steaua game, and could keep his place ahead of Gary Cahill.
Midfield: Mikel’s negative showing midweek could see Ramires drafted in alongside Frank Lampard in central midfield.
Hazard may be rested, but Oscar and Willian could retain their roles, after some good linkup play on Wednesday. Andre Schurrle is likely to deputise for Hazard.
Attack: Despite scoring the winning goal on Wednesday, Ba’s performance midweek left much to be desired. Fernando Torres could well replace him, with Samuel Eto’o also vying for a start.
Chelsea Form: LDWWWL
Prediction: 4-0 – A big win for the Blues, one that has been a long time coming. The striker may start the scoring, but I expect Frank Lampard will steal the show.
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