possible brilliant Chelsea line up vs Crystal Palace amid N’Golo Kante’s injury update and striker dilemma
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Prior to Chelsea’s Saturday matchup with Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park, Graham Potter has a wide range of alternatives.
As Crystal Palace welcomes the Blues to Selhurst Park, Graham Potter will be desperate to get his first victory since managing Chelsea. The former manager of Brighton and Hove Albion will probably encounter hostility at the Eagles’ stadium, but he will be hoping that the residents of west London would spare him the embarrassment.
With 10 points and current standing of 7, Chelsea is now outside of the Champions League qualification spots, leave alone its rivals Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal, who are currently in the third and first place, respectively. Potter will have had some time over the international break to evaluate both the performances of his players who were traveling with their nations and those who stayed at the Cobham training facility.
One of them was Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who joined Chelsea from Barcelona on deadline day but has yet to score for the Blues. Even if the striker made an impression, Armando Broja appears to have finally done enough to merit a starting spot.
In light of this, football. london has examined the possible starting lineups for Chelsea this next weekend as Vieira prepares to receive Potter in south London.
There are several offensive alternatives available to Potter, many of whom are moving up and down the Chelsea hierarchy. This season, Armando Broja has performed admirably for the Blues when called upon, including his brief appearance off the bench against RB Salzburg in the Champions League.
The striker will probably want to start at least one of the Palace or AC Milan games, and the former may present him with the ideal chance to fully launch his season. With Broja beginning, the left and right inside-forward spots are now open.
Raheem Sterling is ready to play in the front three, despite playing a flimsy left wing-back role in the matchup before the break. The competition for the ideal offensive position now includes Kai Havertz, Mason Mount, Hakim Ziyech, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, and Christian Pulisic, all of whom are eager to step up.
In the No.10 position, the German international performed admirably for Hansi Flick’s team, which is an intriguing idea. Havertz, who appears to be in excellent form, may continue it against Palace in a potent front-three.
N’Golo Kante danger
Prior to the London derby, N’Golo Kante returned to training this week, although it’s doubtful that he will be inserted right away. Mateo Kovacic and Jorginho, who both performed well for their respective nations, are both in line to start.
For England Under-21, Conor Gallagher scored the game-winning goal as they defeated Germany 3-1. However, the 22-year-old played an advanced role rather than a pivot, which might one day make him a candidate for Potter’s front three.
strong backline opportunity
On paper, the match versus Palace may be the ideal opportunity to evaluate Chelsea’s strongest backline. Potter could have a perfectly balanced defense that can handle both offensive and defensive responsibilities with Ben Chilwell at left wing-back, Marc Cucurella or Kalidou Koulibaly at left center-back, Thiago Silva at center-back, Wesley Fofana at right center-back, and Reece James at right wing-back.
Shot-stopper puzzle
Due to his knee injury as well as the opportunity to offer Kepa Arrizabalaga playing time, Edouard Mendy was forced to sit out the match against Dinamo Zagreb. Despite having his poorest stretch of play since joining Chelsea in 2020, the Senegal international’s talent cannot be discounted going into the Palace match.
