Chelsea predicted XI vs Crystal Palace: nine changes made as Blues look to build winning streak

Chelsea’s busy transfer window has attracted a lot of discussion in recent weeks, with an impressive haul of new recruits over the line throughout the summer. The Blues have made a total of 11 new signings this period, splashing the cash on high profile recruits like Pedro Neto and Joāo Felix, who cost more than £100 million combined.

Chelsea have also offloaded some players too in order to make room on the wage bill — the main name being Romelu Lukaku, who finally left the club on a permanent move to Napoli in a £30 million switch. They also signed off on the sales of Conor Gallagher and Ian Maatsen among others.

Their opening defeat to Manchester City was far from the ideal way to start the Premier League season but the Blues quickly bounced back with a dominant performance over Wolves. Chelsea hammered the West Midlands side in an eight-goal thriller, firing home six goals as Noni Madueke and Cole Palmer ran riot.

Team news

Enzo Maresca has introduced a good amount of his new signings into the Premier League action so far. The likes of Neto, Felix and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall among others were brought on from the bench against both City and Wolves.

The boss made a few changes from his first and second games as he discovers which of his many possible combinations work best together. Chelsea finished sixth last season and will be eager to improve on that, with a top four spot firmly in their sights this time round.

Injury latest

Reece James remains out of action as he continues to struggle with his fitness. The captain is currently out with a hamstring injury and it remains unclear when he will be back on the pitch.

Roméo Lavia also suffered a torrid time with injuries during his debut season at Stamford Bridge and he also picked up a hamstring problem prior to the Wolves game. It has been described as ‘not a huge concern’ but Maresca confirmed in his press conference prior to the Servette clash that Lavia is still out.

Neto and Malo Gusto were also left out of the midweek squad, but only ‘for protection’.

Predicted XI

It was a tricky outing for Chelsea, who lost out on Thursday night to Servette but were still able to limp through to the UEFA Conference League group stage with an aggregate 3-2 win. The squad was similar in both legs, with only Madueke and Enzo Fernandez coming in as new faces from last week.

As the Blues prepare to return to Premier League action, it’s extremely likely we will be seeing a very different side to the one that took on Servette earlier this week. We’ve predicted a total of nine changes from the midweek clash, but only one from the side that won 6-2 over Wolves.

Predicted Chelsea lineup: Robert Sánchez; Malo Gusto, Wesley Fofana, Levi Colwill, Marc Cucurella, Moisés Caicedo, Enzo Fernandez, Pedro Neto, Cole Palmer, Noni Madueke, Nicolas Jackson.