The Chelsea lineup that should start against Crystal Palace
By Tom Gott
After banishing the demons of that West Brom defeat with a comfortable victory over Porto in midweek, Chelsea must get their domestic campaign back on track with another good showing against Crystal Palace on Saturday.
Thomas Tuchel's Blues have the chance to climb back into the top four, and with the two sides above them, West Ham and Leicester, set to square off on Sunday, picking up three points in this one seems like a must.
Here's how the boss should set up.
Chelsea predicted lineup
1. Goalkeeper & Defenders
Edouard Mendy (GK) - A solid showing against Porto was exactly what Mendy needed and he should now be ready to embark on another run of clean sheets.
Cesar Azpilicueta (CB) - His leadership is vital, but Azpilicueta's trend of pushing players over in the penalty area could do with stopping pretty soon.
Andreas Christensen (CB) - Christensen deserves to start anyway, but with Thiago Silva suspended, this is probably the easiest selection of all.
Antonio Rudiger (CB) - After missing the West Brom loss, Rudiger chalked up another clean sheet against Porto. He might not be universally popular, but he has only conceded four goals since Tuchel's arrival - one of which he actually scored. Results don't lie.
2. Midfielders
Reece James (RM) - James impressed against Porto and was withdrawn late on to protect him ahead of this one. He's wrestled the position back from Callum Hudson-Odoi and deserves to keep it for now.
Mateo Kovacic (CM) - After his disasterclass against West Brom, Kovacic was solid against Porto and deserves another chance to prove he can be relied upon.
Jorginho (CM) - There's no need to rush N'Golo Kante back from his injury against a Palace side who are only ever going to sit deep. Jorginho, who was man of the match against Porto, deserves another go.
Ben Chilwell (LM) - Channelling his inner Fernando Torres (that's a compliment, I swear), Chilwell gave Chelsea one foot in the Champions League semi-final with a late goal against Porto. It was a great showing and one worthy of another start.
Mason Mount (AM) - It's beginning to feel as though Chelsea would fall apart without Mount. He's that important to the team.
Kai Havertz (AM) - The false nine experiment is stuttering, so moving Havertz back to his favoured midfield role may be best.
3. Forward
Tammy Abraham (ST) - Listen, this is probably going to be Havertz or Timo Werner, but at some point, Tuchel is going to have to acknowledge that Abraham is one of the few Chelsea players who actually look like they want to score a goal this season.