Mason Mount was one of the main heroes last night as Chelsea provided the response that their fans were looking for in midweek after their shocking defeate to West Brom last weekend. The Blues look like Champions League title contenders and they’ll ride momentum into a London derby at Crystal Palace this weekend.
You can expect a bit of a lineup shuffle here from manager Thomas Tuchel, who will need to do some squad rotation in order to keep legs fresh for the run in. Expect Mount to retain his place though for sure.
Chelsea FC at Crystal Palace FYIs
Kickoff: Sat April 10, Selhurst Park 12:30pm
Team News for Both Sides: go here
PL Position, Form Guide: Chelsea 5th, LDWWD Crystal Palace 12th, DWLDD
Odds: Chelsea -189 Crystal Palace +575 Draw +280
Kai Havertz and Timo Werner have struggled in their debut season at Chelsea, this is obviously not news. Part of the reason Tuchel was hired, or so it is thought, is the concept that he could be the German forward whisperer, and help the pair reach their potential.
It certainly didn’t happen last night, as the duo struggled and later saw themselves benched once again.
“We lost the connection between the seven and the front three,” Tuchel said. “The balls we delivered weren’t the best balls. … Our two German players, Kai and Timo, didn’t play at their highest level today so I wanted to have an impact from the bench. Christian [Pulisic] has had good momentum and [Olivier Giroud] had good memories of the stadium.”
With Pulisic and Giroud coming on to replace them, perhaps the veteran Frenchman and young American get a first team nod here? Or maybe they will remain in a coming off the bench role?
Also, there are three Germans in the Chelsea squad, and we’re predicting the one that we haven’t mentioned yet is the only one of the triad who will get a first team assignment here.
Chelsea FC Starting XI Prediction at Crystal Palace
Edouard Mendy, Cesar Azpilicueta, Antonio Rudiger, Kurt Zouma, Reece James, Jorginho, N’Golo Kante, Marcos Alonso, Mason Mount, Christian Pulisic, Olivier Giroud
Prediction: Chelsea 1, Crystal Palace 0
Expect the Blues to win, but it one should anticipate a struggle- a low scoring slugfest.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank, partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” has regularly appeared in WGN, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Tribune and SB Nation. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram.