After winning the Club World Cup competition, Chelsea return to Premier League duty as they make the short journey to Selhurst Park to face Patrick Vieira’s Crystal Palace. Chelsea currently sit third in the league table after their last win which came against Tottenham Hotspur before the winter break.
Meanwhile, Crystal Palace continue their search for a long awaited league win with their last win coming against Norwich City on 28th December.
Here are three Chelsea players we think you should keep an eye out for as the Blues will look to cement their position in the top four.
Romelu Lukaku to get firing again with big point to prove against Crystal Palace
After scoring in the semi final and final in the Club World Cup, Romelu Lukaku will certainly look to get back on the scoresheet on a consistent basis after the Belgian striker has failed to sustain solid goal scoring form throughout the season.
With Chelsea’s next several league games all arguably winnable, an away trip at Crystal Palace is a perfect match for Lukaku to make his mark.
Crystal Palace have so far conceded 35 league goals which ranks 10th for league goals conceded; which suggests Lukaku will certainly fancy his chances to make an impact this weekend, coming up against a fairly vulnerable defence.
Romelu Lukaku currently only has five goals in 16 league appearances.
Hakim Ziyech’s dynamism and technical excellence
The form and consistency of Hakim Ziyech has been questionable since his arrival but not an issue that Chelsea fans have had to endure for the last few matches. It is no doubt that the Moroccan constantly thrives when he is played out wide on the right, being able to showcase his technical ability cutting inside onto his left foot.
With two goals in his last two league appearances, Hakim Ziyech is most definitely one of the three players you should keep a close eye on against Crystal Palace this weekend.
It doesn’t come as much of a surprise that we see the 28-year-old thrive when played out wide on the right in a position which appears to be most suitable.
Christian Pulisic to score against Crystal Palace again?
With only three league goals in 12 matches, it hasn’t been a spectacular individual season so far but history will tell you Pulisic has an amazing goal scoring record against the Seagulls.
Pulisic is one of many Chelsea attackers to be struggling for form, but with five goals in five appearances against Crystal Palace, it will come as a surprise if we don’t see the American making an appearance and not scoring this weekend.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe American international has failed to maintain any form this season but having not played for a while, he will be keen to impress against Crystal Palace in a game where Chelsea will certainly look to dominate possession and chance creation.
He loves playing against Crystal Palace, doesn’t he?
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Written by Vikram Jajuha (@CFCVik)
Edited by Tom Coley (@tomcoley49)
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