Chelsea will travel across town to Selhurst Park to face Crystal Palace, looking to end a two game losing streak in the Premier League.
Chelsea had a chance to go top of the league at Christmas with a win against Everton on Dec. 22. Now, less than 15 days later, the Blues have been relegated to fourth in the standings, ten points back of leaders Liverpool. This comes as a result of a drop in form that saw Enzo Maresca's side take just one point out of nine available against Everton, Fulham and Ipswich Town, a drastic turn after they'd won five straight league games.
With the amount of parity in the Premier League, a poor run of games can have dramatic consequences and now Chelsea are in danger of falling out of the top four. However, 15th place Crystal Palace offer a good opportunity for Chelsea to start 2025 on the right foot, especially considering the Blues have won in their last six league visits to Selhurst Park.
Maresca confirmed that captain, Reece James, could see minutes for the first time in almost two months and that Romeo Lavia is also close to returning. However, he also revealed that Benoît Badiashile might be out until February and fellow French center back, Wesley Fofana, could be out the remainder of the season.
Here's how Chelsea could lineup vs. Crystal Palace on Saturday, Dec. 4.
JOIN SI SOCCER'S CHELSEA WHATSAPP COMMUNITY - GET ALL THE LATEST NEWS AND ANALYSIS STRAIGHT TO YOUR PHONE
Chelsea Predicted Lineup vs. Crystal Palace (4-2-3-1)
GK: Robert Sánchez—Sánchez will be back in goal after Filip Jörgensen started in the 0–2 defeat to Ipswich Town.
RB: Malo Gusto—Gusto hasn't been as good as he was a season ago but he's still a better alternative than out of position Axel Disasi.
CB: Tosin Adarabioyo—The former Fulham man will remain in the lineup and could become a mainstay for the foreseeable future given the injuries at the position.
CB: Levi Colwill—Colwill has struggled the past three games but remains Chelsea's best center back.
LB: Marc Cucurella—The Spain international remains a stable presence in Chelsea's left flank.
CM: Moisés Caicedo—No player in the Premier League has more combined successful tackles and interceptions than Caicedo this season.
CM: Enzo Fernández—Despite his streak of goal involvements coming to an end, Fernández continues to play at a very high level recently.
RW: Pedro Neto—Neto and Noni Madueke have both struggled lately but the Portugal international will get the nod after being left on the bench last time out.
AM: Cole Palmer—Palmer had two shots hit the post and an assist wiped out because of a tight offside call. He'll hope for better luck against Palace.
LW: João Félix—Felix will get another chance to start after he was one of Chelsea's most dangerous players at Portman Road.
READ THE LATEST CHELSEA NEWS, PREVIEWS, PREDICTIONS, TRANSFER RUMORS AND MORE
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Chelsea Predicted Lineup vs. Crystal Palace: Premier League.
