Chelsea FC head into the weekend looking for more consistency this season. They rebounded from a shock home loss to Leicester City last weekend by winning at Watford on Boxing Day. Essentially the team will go as Eden Hazard goes, with manager Maurizio Sarri saying the Belgian’s level of worth to this club is comparable to Cristiano Ronaldo with Juventus or Lionel Messi at Barcelona.
Sarri has also said that he’s considering perhaps bringing in a sport psychologist down the line to help with the team psyche. So now that we’ve covered the mental aspect, how about the physical? Well, forward Pedro came off early at Watford due to a hamstring injury.
He will likely be rested for this one.
In staying with the forward group, Alvaro Morata has resumed training after his recovery from a knee injury but defender Andreas Christensen remains out due to a thigh issue. If Chelsea win on Sunday, it will be their third straight road triumph.
In switching over to the hosts, Eagles striker Christian Benteke remains a long term absentee, who we probably won’t see in action sidelined until the new year. Palace has a very poor home record this term, and a win here would be just the third that they have achieved in their own stadium this term.
The Bank Chelsea FC Starting XI Prediction vs Southampton (4-3-3)
Forwards: Eden Hazard, Olivier Giroud, Willian
Midfielders: Mateo Kovavic, Jorginho, N’Golo Kante
Defenders: Marcos Alonso, David Luiz, Antonio Rudiger, Cesar Azpilicueta
Goalkeeper: Kepa Arrizabalaga
Chelsea FC at Crystal Palace FYIs
Kick-off: 4:30 pm (BST), 11:30 am (EST) Sunday December 30, Selhurst Park
Google Result Probability: Chelsea win- 56%, Draw 25%, Crystal Palace win- 19%
Odds via Bet 365: Chelsea win 8/11, draw 3/1, Crystal Palace 4/1
Prediction: Chelsea 2, Crystal Palace 1
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, a former writer for NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, regularly appears as a guest pundit on WGN CLTV and co-hosts the “Let’s Get Weird, Sports” podcast on SB Nation.
He also contributes sociopolitical essays to Chicago Now. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram. The content of his cat’s Instagram account is unquestionably superior to his.