The Premier League is back.
For Chelsea, the push for Premier League glory begins with a visit from Crystal Palace. Thomas Tuchel’s men will be expecting a big win here to make their intentions to the rest of the league abundantly clear.
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Here’s how they should line up.
Edouard Mendy (GK) – Kepa Arrizabalaga was the hero of the Super Cup shoot-out, but this is still Mendy’s spot to lose.
Cesar Azpilicueta (CB) – Against Villarreal, Azpilicueta brought some much-needed calm at the back when he was brought on. A performance deserving of a start.
Andreas Christensen (CB) – Christensen didn’t play much in pre-season but did manage the best part of an hour in midweek. With Thiago Silva yet to even play a minute, expect the Dane to take his spot.
Antonio Rudiger (CB) – After crunching through a few Villarreal attackers, Rudiger looks up for a fight this season.
Callum Hudson-Odoi (RM) – Hudson-Odoi didn’t have his best game against Villarreal, but he should still start this one, although expect him to share the minutes with Reece James.
Jorginho (CM) – After an hour on Wednesday, Jorginho could step his return up with a start here.
N’Golo Kante (CM) – The first name on the team sheet, Kante should start this one because he is the best midfielder in the world. Easy.
Marcos Alonso (LM) – Alonso did surprisingly well at both ends of the field in the Super Cup and absolutely deserves to keep his place – a cause aided by the fact Ben Chilwell is yet to play a single minute.
Mason Mount (AM) – Mount enjoyed a well-deserved break this summer and is still looking to build up his fitness, but he did well enough against Villarreal to suggest he can keep going here.
Timo Werner (AM) – Hakim Ziyech had built up so much momentum in pre-season, but his shoulder injury means Werner is likely to keep his place in the squad… at least until a certain towering Belgian gets up to speed.
Kai Havertz (ST) – It was against Palace last season that Havertz really started to build up his wave of momentum. This could be the final appearance of false-nine Havertz for a while as he is likely to drop back into midfield when Romelu Lukaku rocks up.
