Chelsea FC makes the short trip south, to Crystal Palace, for a London derby on Saturday. This fixture is one of many in the 3pm window on Saturday, as this weekend’s action sees only two of the ten matches being played on Sunday. And the bulk of those Saturday fixtures will be played in the afternoon.
Without further ado, let’s take a took at the team news for both sides.
Chelsea FC at Crystal Palace FYIs
Kick: Sat Feb 19, 3pm, Selhurst Park
Chelsea Starting XI Prediction: go here
Cesar Azpilicueta Feature Story: go here
Premier League Podcast: Spotify Apple Podcasts
PL Form Guide: Chelsea WDLDD Crystal Palace DDLDL
PL Position: Chelsea 3rd, 47pts Crystal Palace 13th, 26pts
Google Result Probability: Chelsea win 58%, Draw 24%, Crystal Palace win 18%
Series History: Chelsea wins 32, Draws 15, Crystal Palace wins 12
London Derby Team News
Let’s start with the third place Pensioners, attacking midfielder Mason Mount will miss out due to an ankle injury and could be sidelined for a few weeks.
Elsewhere Reece James is progressing well and could return soon, but not in time for this one. Ruben Loftus-Cheek is also nearing a return, but he most likely won’t be in the team for this one.
Switching over to the home side, Nathan Ferguson is the only confirmed injury absentee, as he suffered a setback with his hamstring problem. Also, Conor Gallagher is unavailable for this one, as the Chelsea loanee is not eligible to face his parent club.
Prediction: Chelsea 2, Crystal Palace 1
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Bank (TheSportsBank.Net) and author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” as well as “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He has regularly appeared in WGN, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune, and co-hosts the After Extra Time podcast. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram.