Chelsea absolutely won the 2020 summer transfer window, by splashing the cash at a time that no one else was. And that investment saw immediate dividends as the Blues claimed last season’s Champions League title.
While this summer has seen Stamford Bridge only make one acquisition, Romelu Lukaku, it is a record breaking signing that fulfills their main positional need. Blues supporters should be dreaming of a Premier League title this time around. (Big Rom will not be available tomorrow though)
Chelsea vs Crystal Palace FYIs
Kickoff: Sat Aug 14, 3pm GMT, Stamford Bridge
Team News for both sides: go here
Season Previews: Chelsea Crystal Palace
Premier League Season Preview Podcast: go here
Odds: Chelsea (-400) | Crystal Palace (+1100) | Draw (+450)
It’s a marathon, not a sprint of course, and it all gets started tomorrow when the Blues host Crystal Palace, a side that’s expected to feel the drop at the end of the term. While Thomas Tuchel’s team will be sans a couple key players, you can expect the German to field a very strong side nonetheless.
Here is our best guess as to what kind of selection he will make on Saturday. It will be interesting to see where Christian Pulisic slots in. Especially if he’s wearing his new custom made PUMA boots.
Chelsea Starting XI Prediction (3-4-2-1) vs Crystal Palace
Havertz
Pulisic Mount
Chilwell Kante Jorginho Azpilicueta
Rudiger Silva Christensen
Mendy
Prediction: Chelsea 3, Crystal Palace 0
This one could get ugly, and it could get ugly quick, given the talent disparity between the two sides.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank, partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America” and “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 and the Chicago Tribune.