After banishing the demons in the West Brom defeat with a comfortable victory over Porto in the middle of the week, Chelsea must get their domestic campaign back on track with another good display 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, putting in the square on Sunday and picking up three points in this one seems like a must.
This is how the boss should set.
Christensen’s good form continues | Quality Sport Images / Getty Images
Edouard Mendy (GK) – A solid display against Porto was exactly what Mendy needed and he should now be ready to start on a new set of clean sheets.
Cesar Azpilicueta (CB) – His leadership is crucial, but Azpilicueta’s trend of shooting 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 choice of all.
Antonio Rudiger (CB) – After missing the West Brom loss, Rudiger criticized another goal against Porto. He may not be widely popular, but he has only conceded four goals since Tuchel’s arrival – one of which he actually did. The results do not lie.
Mount is Chelsea’s star | CRISTINA QUICLER / Getty Images
Reece James (RM) – James impressed against Porto and withdrew late to protect him before this one. He has wrestled the position from Callum Hudson-Odoi and deserves to keep it for now.
Mateo Kovacic (CM) – After his disaster class against West Brom, Kovacic was solid against Porto and deserves another chance to prove he can be trusted.
Jorginho (CM) – There’s no reason to rush N’Golo Kante back from his injury to a Palace side that will only ever sit deep. Jorginho, who was the man of the match against Porto, deserves once again.
Ben Chilwell (LM) – Chilwell channeled his inner Fernando Torres (that’s a compliment, I swear) and gave Chelsea a foothold in the Champions League semi-final with a late goal against Porto. It was a fantastic show and one worthy of a fresh start.
Mason Mount (AM) – It’s starting to feel like Chelsea would fall apart without Mount. He is so important to the team.
Kai Havertz (AM) – The fake nine experiments stem, so it may be best to move Havertz back to his favorite midfield troll.
Abraham deserves a second chance Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA / Getty Images
Tammy Abraham (ST) – Listen, this will probably be Havertz or Timo Werner, but at some point Tuchel will have to admit that Abraham is one of the few Chelsea players who actually looks like he wants to score a goal this season.
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