Chelsea v Palace

Stamford Bridge, Saturday 3.00pm

Story so far

Tony Pulis continued his impressive start at the helm of Crystal Palace as the Eagles secured a 2-0 win over Cardiff thanks to goals from Cameron Jerome and Marouane Chamakh.

Newly promoted sides are always tested defensively when they join a division as tough as the Premier League and Palace’s fortunes have been no different. Damien Delaney has certainly stepped up to the plate though and he currently sits joint third in the league for total defensive contributions (blocks, tackles won, interceptions, clearances) with 195.

Mile Jedinak continues to display the kind of form which will make Eagles fans glad he’s just committed his future with a new deal. Their Aussie skipper ranks joint third on the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index for total tackles won, with a stellar 56 to his name.

Jedinak’s smooth reading of them game also sees him rank top of the league for interceptions this season, racking up 53 this term. He will need all this defensive ability and more when his Palace side come up against a highly technical Chelsea outfit this weekend.

Pulis will be hoping he can extract more from some of his more attacking-minded players as well as helping with their defensive structure as they push their way out the bottom three. It’s currently a tie between Jason Puncheon and Dwight Gayle for the most attempts on goal in the Palace squad, with each having 13 to their name as well as identical accuracy rates of 30.8%. You can find Dwight Gayle at 17/4 with 888sport.com to score at any time this weekend.

Chelsea were shocked at the Britannia last weekend despite a fine display from Andre Schurrle which saw him grab a brace. Mourinho’s men could not convert this into points though after a last-minute screamer from the Potters saw the Blues return to London empty-handed.

Eden Hazard continues to flourish under Jose Mourinho, his manager apparently intent on building his side around young attacking talent like Hazard and Oscar. The young Belgian has clearly responded to this obvious show of faith given that he’s made more attacking contributions (assists, crosses, dribbles, shots on goal) that an other Blues player this term, with 87 to his name.

Andre Schurrle’s double was a just reward for a talented player who has struggled slightly to find some of his best form since arriving in England. The German has so far only managed a 37.5% shot accuracy rate from 16 attempts on goal but with the confidence of his two well taken goals at the weekend it’s very likely this will vastly improve in the coming weeks. Schurrle is 18/10 to score at any time this weekend with 888sport.com.

Oscar continues to respond well to Jose Mourinho’s desire to see more all-round efforts from his players. The talented playmaker has been excelling in the defensive side of work, winning a hugely impressive 78.6% of his 42 attempted challenges this season according to the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index.

Midfield colleague Ramires continues to lead the way for overall passing contributions for the Blues this term. Last weekend he became the first player in the Chelsea squad to surpass the 400-barrier for passes completed in the opponent’s half, with his total now sitting at 406. This mean’s he’s completed one on average once every 3.33 minutes he’s been the pitch this season.

Team news

Dean Moxey is a doubt for the trip to West London due to a hamstring injury sustained against Cardiff last week. Joel Ward is set to fill in at left back with Adrian Mariappa on the right.

Yannick Bolasie is available for selection after completing his three-match ban. But fellow wide man Jerome Thomas is likely to be out for the Christmas period with a groin problem.

Chelsea defender Gary Cahill will sit the game out after having treatment on his quadriceps, while England colleague Ashley Cole will start on the bench, with Spain right-back Cesar Azpilicueta in his spot at left back.

Chelsea: Cech, Ivanovic, Cole, Luiz, Essien, Ramires, Lampard, Torres, Mata, Oscar, Mikel, Schurrle, De Bruyne, Hazard, Ba, Willian, Schwarzer, Cahill, Terry, Azpilicueta, Eto'o, Blackman.

Palace: Speroni, Price, Ward, Gabbidon, Delaney, Mariappa, Moxey, Puncheon, Kebe, Jedinak, Dikgacoi, Bannan, O'Keefe, Williams, Gayle, Chamakh, Jerome, Phillips, Bolasie.

Quotes

Roy Hodgson

"I think it's absolutely amazing that people are criticising Chelsea. They're third in the Premier League, they've just won their group in Europe and they're in the quarter-finals of the League Cup. They're having a stinker, aren't they?.

"They're not doing too bad from where I'm looking. I expect them to be a lot stronger in the second half of the season.

"We've had 10 points out of five games, a real good run, the confidence is high, they (the players) are enjoying the football at the moment.

"(But) there's a massive gulf between what Chelsea have got and what this club have got.

"It's always difficult going away and playing the top, top sides in this league. You need them to be off form, you need to be right on top of it and you need some breaks as well."

Barry Bannan

"We can get something. With the confidence we have at the minute, and everything we have in the team, we're capable of beating them there. Of course it'll be about everyone putting in 'that' performance – you can't carry players – but, if we all bring our best games...

"Things feel more settled now. There haven't been that many changes in the team recently, and that brings togetherness. If you're out there in the battle with the same players almost every week, you grow closer. That's what we've picked up from a solid team, solid formation, and everyone's working for each other.

"It's shown on the pitch with the results we've had recently. The new manager has given everyone a lift. The first day he was here he called us in and gave this brief, sharp meeting. He said, 'I've never been relegated and I don't plan to start here.' He's not going to let us just go down."

Mile Jedinak

"It was always going to be a tough week, but a very crucial one. We didn't want to put too much pressure on ourselves and the gaffer didn't either. It's a great thing we got the results we wanted and we're looking forward to pushing ahead.

"The gaffer has come in, nailed down a few things he wanted and the boys have responded really well.

"It is new and we are still learning from him. As long as we keep showing that same attitude towards each other and the gaffer it is very encouraging."

Yannick Bolasie

"The spirit at training has always been there and the training has not changed too much. The only thing we are practising more is on the shape of the team because the gaffer has got a certain way he wants to play and we are trying to mould into that as quick as we can.

"Results in the last two games have been good and confidence is high. The suspension was frustrating and I just want to do my piece for the team.

"Obviously everything has been alright so far as shown in the results. Under every new manager things always change, people have a different pattern of play and it is the same with Tony Pulis.

"He plays with two strikers 4-4-2, while Ian Holloway played 4-3-3 and Dougie Freedman played 4-2-3-1. It is just different formations as everyone has got their own ideas."

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Chelsea - league stats

Position	Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	Points
3rd	15	9	3	3	30

Full league table

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Chelsea - current form

Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	For	Against
8	5	1	2	20	13

Full form table

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Last five results

Date	Type	Home Team	Score	Away Team
19/03/2005	League	Chelsea	4 - 1	Crystal Palace
24/08/2004	League	Crystal Palace	0 - 2	Chelsea
11/03/1998	League	Chelsea	6 - 2	Crystal Palace
13/09/1997	League	Crystal Palace	0 - 3	Chelsea
05/03/1995	League	Chelsea	0 - 0	Crystal Palace

All time results

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Last meeting

Chelsea 4-1 Palace

Saturday March 19 2005

Chelsea: Cech, Paulo Ferreira, Terry, Ricardo Carvalho, Johnson, Makelele, Cole, Lampard, Duff (Robben, 74), Drogba (Tiago, 63), Gudjohnsen (Kezman, 77)

Subs not used: Cudicini, Huth

Bookings: Terry

Goals: Lampard 29, Cole 54, Kezman 78, Kezman 90

Palace: Kiraly, Granville, Sorondo (Freedman, 74), Hall, Boyce, Routledge (Torghelle, 73), Riihilahti (Watson, 88), Hughes, Soares, Leigertwood, Johnson

Subs not used: Speroni, Borrowdale

Goals: Riihilahti 42

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