The Premier League is back, and Chelsea are in action once again. The Blues make the trip across London, as they face Crystal Palace on Saturday afternoon.
Before the international break, Chelsea were beaten at home to Manchester City. Kevin de Bruyne scored the only goal of the game to condemn his former club to a defeat. Despite the loss, Antonio Conte’s side currently sit in fourth place in the Premier League.
Crystal Palace’s season has started horribly. Currently the Eagles are bottom of the league, yet to register a single point or goal so far this season. Their poor form this season saw the dismissal of Frank de Boer, with Roy Hodgson taking over. Things haven’t gone much better for Hodgson, who is also yet to guide his team to a victory.
Despite their poor form, Crystal Palace will still provide a stern test on Saturday, and we’ve picked out four players that could cause Chelsea problems.
Wilfried Zaha
Ivorian winger Wilfried Zaha is one player that will cause the Chelsea defenders issues on Saturday.
For the past few weeks, Zaha has been sidelined with injury. It is likely that he will return for the fixture against Chelsea, and he will want to help Palace score their first goal of the new season.
Last season, he scored seven times in the league. Five of these goals came from his right foot, so the Chelsea defenders will need to get him onto his weaker left foot to ensure he doesn’t beat Thibaut Courtois.
Andros Townsend
Another winger that could cause Chelsea a few problems this weekend is Andros Townsend.
Unlike Zaha, Townsend has featured regularly this season but has been unable to make an impact so far. Under both de Boer and Hodgson, Townsend has been largely underwhelming. A big performance against Chelsea will change that.
This season, Townsend has been Palace’s main creative outlet. He has created two big chances this season. His total for last season was eight.
Patrick van Aanholt
Dutch full-back Patrick van Aanholt will want an impressive performance against his former side on Saturday.
Like the rest of the side, van Aanholt hasn’t really impressed so far this season. Despite his poor performances, the Dutchman is capable of getting forward and causing problems in the opposition’s half.
Last season, van Aanholt scored five goals from left-back. Three of those were for former side Sunderland, but the defender is capable of scoring and will want a goal against his former employers.
Mamadou Sakho
With Alvaro Morata ruled out of the fixture, Michy Batshuayi will have to get past Mamadou Sakho on Saturday to give Chelsea a chance.
After impressing on loan last season, Sakho joined the Eagles permanently in the summer. This season, he has made two league appearances. In those two games, Palace have conceded nine goals.
During his spell at Selhurst Park last season, he helped to keep four clean sheets in eight games. The Frenchman is an imposing figure, standing at over 6 foot 1 inches, and made 33 headed clearances last season.
