Chelsea stretched their winning streak to ten in a row with a narrow but convincing 1-0 win against Sunderland. Antonio Conte’s boys are truly the pace setters in the Premier League title race. Arsenal lost to Everton in the midweek which takes the gap between the top spot and the second spot to six points, although Liverpool overtook Arsenal for the second place having scored more goals.
The Blues face another test in their quest for the title on Saturday when they take on Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park. Antonio Conte’s side could make it 11 wins on the trot if they manage a win over the Eagles. Crystal Palace will be desperate for points from this game after they suffered a last-gasp loss to Manchester United on Wednesday, which keeps Alan Pardew’s side hovering just above the relegation zone.
The two London sides have met each other 14 times in the League till date and Chelsea have won 10 of those 14 games while Palace have won just twice, one of which came last season. The Eagles will be the underdogs though as Antonio Conte’s side have rarely shown any signs of weakness.
Team news
Crystal Palace
James Tomkins, Bakary Sako, Steve Mandanda and Jonathan Benteke are out until at least January while Loic Remy will not be able to face his former club as he too remains injured. Pape Souare and Connor Wickham may not play again this season.
Chelsea
Eden Hazard remains a doubt for Chelsea ahead of the trip to Selhurst Park after being left out of Conte’s squad for the Sunderland game following a knock he sustained against West Brom at the weekend. Cesc Fabregas, after scoring the winner against Sunderland, should start ahead of Nemanja Matic.
Predicted lineups
Crystal Palace (4-2-3-1): Hennessey; Ward, Dann, Delaney, Kelly; McArthur, Cabaye; Townsend, Puncheon, Zaha; Benteke
Chelsea (3-4-3): Courtois; Azpilicueta, Luiz, Cahill; Moses. Kanté, Fabregas, Alonso; Willian, Costa, Hazard
Key players
Crystal Palace- Christian Benteke
Benteke has been quite a hit at Selhurst Park since his mega-money move from Liverpool having scored eight Premier League goals this season. He has won as many as 9 aerial duels every game this season and will definitely test Chelsea’s stubborn defence.
Chelsea- Diego Costa
What a season Costa is having! With 12 goals in 16 games, he has been instrumental in Chelsea’s amazing run not just with goals but also his ability to create. He also has 5 assists this campaign and will be a big test for the Palace defence.
Odds
Crystal Palace to win: 51/10
Draw: 13/4
Chelsea to win: 3/5
