Benoit Badiashile has dropped a team news hint ahead of Chelsea's clash with Crystal Palace, suggesting that he could finally be granted his debut. The 21-year-old defender has been named in Graham Potter's squad on a number of occassions since joining the Blues from Monaco earlier this month.
But, despite Kalidou Koulibaly's unconvincing displays, he's yet to be given a chance in the first-team alongside Thiago Silva. Since Badiashile's arrival, the west Londoners have lost each of their three previous ties with losses coming against Fulham and Manchester City in both the Premier League and the FA Cup.
Potter has struggled to rejuvenate Chelsea following the World Cup but Todd Boehly will be hoping that the signing of the the France international will come to fruition. Having conceded eight goals this month, the young defender could give his new club the edge they need.
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Ahead of what is set to be another tough afternoon, Potter stressed the importance of bouncing back from the defeat to Fulham and addressed the challenges Chelsea are set to face. Speaking to football.london, the Blues boss said: "We have to recover. We have to recover from the disappointment of the game [against Fulham].
"We have to assess all the players in terms of recovery and injury, whatever we have. Then we have to be positive, move forward and take a home game on.
"It’s another London derby against a team with dangerous players so we have to be good ourselves and prepare the team," Potter added before showing Patrick Vieira with praise for his work at Selhurst Park. "I think Patrick has done a fantastic job since he has been there.
"They’ve always got dangerous players, young players, so they are maybe not as consistent as they would like, but the quality they have – Eze, Olise, Zaha obviously – these are players who can travel with the ball well, can attack, can eliminate you in one-vs-one situations. They have improved in the build-up phase of the game, their two centre-backs are good, and they are a competitive and top team."
While Badiashile posting a graphic preview of the Palace fixture on his social media profile does not necessarily mean he will start but it historically suggests that he will be involved in some capacity. Follow live coverage of the game in our blog here.
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