Chelsea v Palace

Stamford Bridge, Saturday 3.00pm

Yannick Bolasie (Photo: Andy Roberts)

Team news

Eagles winger Yannick Bolasie has been named in Alan Pardew's squad after missing out last week following the death of his father. Club captain Mile Jedinak is sidelined with a hamstring injury he sustained in the midweek League Cup win over Shrewsbury. Striker Patrick Bamford is not eligible to play under the terms of his Chelsea loan.

Chelsea captain John Terry is suspended after being sent-off in the 3-2 victory over West Brom last week so Gary Cahill will replace him in central defence alongside Kurt Zouma.

New boy Baba Rahman not yet match fit, while Oscar is out with a muscular injury. Former Palace winger Victor Moses is a doubt but would have been unlikely to made the first XI.

Quotes

Roy Hodgson

"I go there (to Chelsea) a lot so I know them very well. They have some new players and they’re integrating those. They have a side that looks, to me, like it could be better than the one last year that won the league.

"You have to be on your guard and the concentration levels needed to win there (at Stamford Bridge) are really high. We performed last year almost to our maximum and still got beat. So it’s one of those places, you’ve got to go there and play your best game and hope that you get a result.

"I think it would be fair to say that Chelsea are not quite in the groove they were when we played them last time, because obviously they were nearing the title, they were all honed, they were all up to match fitness.

"We’re not like that and nor are Chelsea. We were probably better last year than we are now. Both teams not quite at the level we were then. You would expect that, but hopefully we’ll both grow during the season and perhaps surpass our levels of last year."

Yohan Cabaye

“We won’t be scared of them. No, no, no. They have to feel that we are not scared of them. Tomorrow, we will not let Chelsea players play as they like. We respect them, we respect all teams. But we will focus on getting something out of the game. I am not worried about the quality they have got.

“For me, he [Pardew] is a fantastic manager. The Gaffer is very close to his players. And he knows how to get the best from us. Sometimes, he is strict. He can be on at us to try to get the best. He has to be. And sometimes he can be more relaxed. He knows when he has to be strict and when he has to be relaxed. And, tactically, he knows his job. That’s why he has got good results. At Newcastle, he was manager of the year [in 2012].

“I know the fuss that Palace have made of me and the money they paid. But there is no pressure on me. I don’t want to be apart from the team. I want to part of this group. We have some brilliant players.”

Wilfried Zaha

"Pedro is a very good player. They have a good strike force so our defenders are going to have to be on their game. Hopefully we can get something out of it, we just need to think about ourselves, not them.

"I think we'll go there and look to do the same from May, go there with a game plan and try to nick a point or three. Let's see what we can do against them. It would be nice to go into the international break with something, so I'm sure the gaffer has got plans to work on."

Jose Mourinho

"Palace will be always a difficult opponent but they have even better players than last season, so if last season they were good they are going to be even better this season.

"A London derby is always a London derby. Stamford Bridge is always a huge motivation. They have nothing to lose. They will be in a very stable position, top 10 for sure, so it will be a good match.

"It's just a question of are they coming and trying to play, or are they coming with a different perspective of being more defensive, trying something on the counter-attack? They have very good striker, who knows, maybe they try to do what they did last season and play with a striker."

Chelsea - league stats

Full league table

Last five results

Date	Type	Home Team	Score	Away Team
03/05/2015	League	Chelsea	1 - 0	Crystal Palace
18/10/2014	League	Crystal Palace	1 - 2	Chelsea
29/03/2014	League	Crystal Palace	1 - 0	Chelsea
14/12/2013	League	Chelsea	2 - 1	Crystal Palace
19/03/2005	League	Chelsea	4 - 1	Crystal Palace

All time results

Last meeting

Chelsea 1-0 Palace

Sunday May 03 2015

Chelsea: Courtois, Ivanovic, Cahill
Terry, Azpilicueta, Fàbregas, Matic, Cuadrado (Mikel, 45), Willian (Zouma, 85), Hazard (Filipe Luis, 92), Drogba

Subs not used: Cech, Aké, Remy, Loftus-Cheek

Goals: Hazard 45

Bookings: Ivanovic, Terry

Palace: Speroni, Mariappa (Kelly, 60), Dann, Delaney, Ward, Puncheon (Sanogo, 71), McArthur, Ledley, Zaha, Mutch (Murray, 61), Bolasie

Subs not used: Hangeland, Hennessey, Jedinak, Lee Chung-yong

Bookings: Mariappa, Dann

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