DEVASTATING NEWS: coming live from Stamford bridge, Chelsea loses star player and won’t be available for selection against crystal palace. Chelsea will be without star player for the mammoth Premier League clash against crystal Today after losing him to injury. Full Chelsea squad as star players missing for crystal palace match.
Chelsea will face Crystal Palace at Stamford Bridge this afternoon, aiming to secure back-to-back Premier League victories. Following his remarkable hat-trick against Wolves in their previous match, Noni Madueke earned his first senior England call-up on Wednesday. He’ll be looking to cap off an excellent week by securing a spot in today’s starting lineup, though he did play an hour in Chelsea’s narrow escape from European embarrassment against Servette on Thursday.
Christopher Nkunku, who scored from the penalty spot in that match, played the full 90 minutes, which suggests he might start on the bench when the team takes on Crystal Palace. Joao Felix and Pedro Neto, who were both rested during the midweek game, are likely candidates for starting positions today.
Wesley Fofana, who also didn’t feature in the match against Servette, is expected to return to the lineup and partner with Levi Colwill in defense. Romeo Lavia, who missed Chelsea’s 6-2 victory last weekend and didn’t travel with the squad to Switzerland due to a minor hamstring injury, may sit out again. Given that he hasn’t been seen in any training images released by the club this week, Chelsea might choose to be cautious with his return, especially with the international break on the horizon.
On a busy transfer deadline day, neither Victor Osimhen nor Ivan Toney joined Chelsea, but Jadon Sancho did make the move back to London on a season-long loan from Manchester United. However, Sancho will have to wait for his debut, as he’ll use the upcoming international break to get fully integrated under manager Enzo Maresca.
The predicted starting XI for Chelsea against Crystal Palace includes Sanchez in goal, with Gusto, Fofana, Colwill, and Cucurella in defense. Caicedo and Fernandez are expected to anchor the midfield, while Madueke, Palmer, Felix, and Jackson are set to lead the attack.
