Chelsea vs Crystal Palace predicted line-ups and team news
Chelsea will be looking to build on the 6-2 victory they posted at Wolves last week when they host Crystal Palace.
The game will kick off at 1:30pm on Sunday 1st September at Stamford Bridge, but will not be televised live in the UK.
Chelsea vs Crystal Palace predicted line-ups
Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Sanchez; Gusto, Fofana, Colwill, Cucurella; Caicedo, Fernandez; Madueke, Palmer, Mudryk; Jackson.
Crystal Palace (3-4-2-1): Henderson; Clyne, Guehi, Richards; Munoz, Wharton, Lerma, Mitchell; Edouard, Eze; Mateta.
Transfer windows tend to be a hectic time at Chelsea and the past month or so has been pretty frenetic for new Blues manager Maresca, who has taken the helm after leading Leicester to Championship glory last season.
All sorts of moves were in the offing right up until the closing hours of the window as the Blues were not only looking to add further reinforcements but also jettison some of those who are going to be surplus to requirements.
The signs were good with that thumping of Wolves in their last Premier League game. But how Maresca will utilise his players to find the right blend is one of the most intriguing storylines of the season.
Departures have been the main concern at Crystal Palace, who had a storming finish to the last campaign.
Michael Olise has gone to Bayern Munich while Jordan Ayew and Joachim Andersen have also left Selhurst Park. And the Eagles have lost their opening two matches against Brentford and West Ham, so they will need something from their third successive London derby.
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Chelsea vs Crystal Palace team news
Noni Madueke, who scored a hat-trick in the win at Molineux, started in Switzerland against Servette as the Blues booked their place in the league phase of the Conference League. But the fact he was withdrawn after an hour suggests he is likely to start against the Eagles.
So there looks a strong chance that Maresca will stick with the starting line-up that posted the Black Country success as there are no fresh injury concerns to contend with.
Romeo Lavia and Reece James are not expected to return from their hamstring injuries until after the international break. James is also serving the final game of his four-match ban.
Palace manager Oliver Glasner may be reluctant to ring the changes after he fielded a strong team to dispatch Championship side Norwich 4-0 in the EFL Cup on Tuesday.
Matheus Franca is still struggling with a groin injury, but the biggest concern is new defender Chadi Riad, who was substituted after just 10 minutes of the game against the Canaries with a knee ligament injury.
The Moroccan is expected to miss the trip to Stamford Bridge, which leaves the Eagles scratching around for defenders.
