Chelsea’s defence will certainly have to tighten up at the back if they want to get a result against Crystal Palace this weekend. The four goals conceded versus Ajax will be a concern for manager Frank Lampard, although he would have been delighted by his side’s fighting qualities.

The Eagles come into the game at Stamford Bridge on Saturday off the back of a 2-0 home defeat to Leicester, but they are stronger away from home. They drew 2-2 at Arsenal a couple of weeks ago and beat Manchester United at Old Trafford earlier this season.

Chelsea have four fitness concerns going into the match. Mason Mount injured his ankle against Ajax and is a major doubt. Ross Barkley could, though, return to the matchday squad after recovering from his own ankle injury.

Antonio Rudiger (groin), Ruben Loftus-Cheek (Achilles) and Marcon Van Ginkel (knee) have all been ruled out, while Jorginho is suspended after picking up five yellow cards.

Palace have four players that could face late fitness tests ahead of the weekend. Andros Townsend (muscular), Cheikh Kouyate (head), James McArthur (back) and Gary Cahill (head) are all doubts for the game. Mamadou Sakho and Connor Wickham are both out of contention.

The bookies have made Chelsea heavy favourites for this one with Sky Bet pricing them at 4/11 to win. A draw is currently 23/5 with Unibet while a Crystal Palace victory is 19/2 at BetVictor.

Predicted Score – 3-2 to Chelsea