Chelsea bounced back in style against FC Porto in the Champions League with a solid win and now visit Selhurst Park to face Roy Hodgson’s Crystal Palace. Tuchel would like to see his team get back to winning ways in the Premier League after they were thrashed at home by West Brom. West Ham now sit in fourth after dislodging Chelsea, which makes this a must-win game for the Blues and their Champions League aspirations.
Crystal Palace have lost just one league game out of their last six mostly thanks to their solid defence led by in-form goalkeeper Vicente Guaita. Chelsea’s forwards have struggled to find goals and it will be a tough task to break the Eagles’ backline. Summer signings Timo Werner and Kai Havertz have yet to hit their strides in Chelsea colours despite the team’s fantastic run under Tuchel.
Thiago Silva is the only absentee for Chelsea due to his sending off in their previous fixture. Let us take a look at how Thomas Tuchel may set his team up for this important fixture.
THE 3-4-3
The 3-4-3 has brought instant success to Thomas Tuchel with just one defeat in sixteen games in charge. Edouard Mendy has been a fantastic signing for Chelsea and his form guarantees him a place in the starting eleven. Kurt Zouma may be given a chance to redeem himself after a poor performance against the Baggies. Calum Hudson-Odoi and Marcos Alonso may return on the flanks as part of the squad rotation.
N’golo Kante was back in action against Porto from the bench and may start alongside Jorginho who put in a Man of the Match performance in that game. The German duo of Timo Werner and Kai Havertz had a poor game in the Champions League and may be replaced by Hakim Ziyech and Olivier Giroud. Mason Mount has been his team’s top scorer under Tuchel and will look to continue his scintillating form.
THE 3-5-2
In this system, Mason Mount has the license to move freely behind the front two and Giroud and Pulisic. This will allow him to link their midfield and attack during quick transitions. Crystal Palace are expected to sit deep and counter-attack so we can expect Chelsea to dominate possession. Hudson-Odoi and Alonso will look to make forward runs to threaten with crosses from wide areas.
Christian Benteke and Wilfried Zaha have a very good record against the Blues which makes them the top priorities for Chelsea’s backline. Zouma and Rudiger need to be at their best physically to prevent the long balls from causing problems.
THE 4-3-3
The 4-3-3 was Chelsea’s preferred system prior to Tuchel’s arrival. In this formation, Mateo Kovacic may come in place of Jorginho to add extra mobility to the midfield. Ben Chilwell and Reece James are more suitable for a back four than their compatriots Alonso and Hudson-Odoi. Olivier Giroud has performed exceptionally when called upon this season and Tuchel will look forward to his experience and physical presence against the very physical Palace backline.
Chelsea have had the upper hand in this fixture in the past and will be looking to make it six successive wins at Selhurst Park on Saturday. Crystal Palace have solidified their mid-table status but will surely be looking to avoid the humiliation they faced in the reverse fixture when they lost 4-0. Fans will hope for another routine win for the Blues to get back into the top four.
