Chelsea will visit Crystal Palace in the Premier League after their win in the FA Cup. While the Blues destroyed Aston Villa 3-1 in Wednesday’s FA Cup fourth-round replay, the Eagles’ misfortune persisted as they suffered a 4-1 thrashing at the hands of bitter rivals Brighton & Hove Albion the previous weekend.
Preview (Crystal Palace vs. Chelsea)
At the Amex Stadium last Saturday, the Seagulls and Eagles engaged in a bird-of-a-prey match that saw the home team soar while the visitors’ wings were clipped. Lewis Dunk, Jack Hinshelwood, and Facundo Buonanotte helped a resurgent Brighton take a 3-0 lead in just 34 minutes. Jean-Philippe Mateta’s well-executed header kept things close going into the last 20 minutes. Any Palace supporters clinging to slivers of hope saw their hopes dashed. Joao Pedro restored Brighton’s four-goal lead on yet another disappointing afternoon for Roy Hodgson and co.
Even though the outcome was depressing, Hodgson’s choice to start an ineffective Michael Olise—who played for just over ten minutes before getting hurt again—caused confusion and criticism from both the Palace supporters and outsiders. Nevertheless, the 76-year-old is still in charge for the time being. Hodgson’s job is probably secure for the remainder of the season because there don’t seem to be many interested candidates. The Eagles, in 14th place, are still five points above the relegation zone. Things might get more complicated if they don’t do well on Saturday.
The Selhurst Park supporters, however, are not without hope as their team has won seven of the previous nine available points at home, easily defeating Sheffield United and Brentford with three goals apiece. Their opponents, however, come in with fresh confidence. Over the winter, both Hodgson and his opposite number, Mauricio Pochettino, have been under fire. The latter had his team shut out by Wolverhampton Wanderers and Liverpool before facing an FA Cup fourth-round replay against Aston Villa, who had just defeated Sheffield United five goals to none.
Team News
Olise was just cleared to start on the bench at the Amex after being substituted due to a thigh problem. Hodgson’s crazy choice to start the winger during the game ended disastrously. The player will now miss several weeks due to the injury. Apart from that, former Blues defender Marc Guehi suffered a knee injury in the first half of that M23 mauling and will not be able to play again for his previous club. Other players remaining out of contention include Cheick Doucoure (Achilles), Rob Holding (ankle), Everechi Eze (thigh), and Jesurun Rak-Sakyi (thigh).
Joel Ward (thigh) may be able to play center defense in an emergency. Chris Richards should start in place of Guehi. It will give Adam Wharton his complete debut following a rough start against Brighton. In addition to the former Chelsea defender, Benoit Badiashile, a current member of the Blues back line. He suffered a groin injury during the FA Cup victory over Aston Villa. As a result, the Frenchman will not be able to play in the derby.
But Trevoh Chalobah and Levi Colwill, haven’t played yet this season. He has returned to full training at the right time. Pochettino can also choose to call up 39-year-old Thiago Silva, who was benched for the Villa Park victory. The club’s injury list now includes Marc Cucurella (ankle), Wesley Fofana (knee), Reed James (thigh), Lesley Ugochukwu (hamstring), and Romeo Lavia (thigh). Robert Sanchez (knee), the goalie, has returned to some team practice but is still not quite ready to make a competitive return.
Crystal Palace 0-2 Chelsea
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