Crystal Palace will lock horns with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Saturday afternoon as they look to grind out a result on the road. The Eagles managed to secure an impressive 3-1 win over Watford in a pre-season friendly match last weekend which will keep their spirits high ahead of this London derby.
Patrick Vieira could opt for a 4-3-3 formation and is expected to unleash Wilfried Zaha down the left flank. Jordan Ayew will probably get the nod to start as the right-winger for the Selhurst outfit this weekend.
4-3-3 Crystal Palace Predicted Lineup To Face Chelsea
Defence
Vicente Guaita will feature in goal for the Eagles as he looks to keep things solid at the back on Saturday. Marc Guéhi will operate alongside Cheikhou Kouyaté at the centre of Viera’s defence as they look to stop the Blues from scoring during the 90 minutes.
Tyrick Mitchell will resume his duties at left-back while Joel Ward hopes to impress on the other flank as the right-back. Both of them will be responsible for keeping a solid shape inside their half and restrict the Chelsea wingers from getting in behind them out on the wide areas.
Martin Kelly could make up the numbers on the bench as he provides cover for the defensive positions.
Midfield
Jeffrey Schlupp, Jaïro Riedewald and James McArthur will anchor the midfield for Crystal Palace as they try to make life difficult for the Blues and feed some decent passes to the front players on the counter.
Viera will be without the services of Michael Olise who is unlikely to recover in time for this game. However, Luka Milivojević is expected to be named on the bench and could come on to make an impact in the latter stages if Viera decides to call upon his services.
Attack
Wilfried Zaha will look to give a good account of himself down the left flank while Jordan Ayew focuses on producing a productive performance on the right. Jean-Philippe Mateta will lead the line for the Eagles down the middle as he looks to kick off the Premier League campaign in style by getting his name on the scoresheet at Stamford Bridge this weekend.
Christian Benteke will be available for selection on the bench as he waits for his chance to influence the game in the second half if needed.
