Cole Palmer And Thiago Silva To Start; Raheem Sterling On The Bench: Chelsea’s Predicted XI To Play Luton

Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino would have been relieved that his side secured the three points against Crystal Palace on Wednesday night.

The Blues were the better side but they struggled, once again, to put their chances away before Noni Madueke’s late penalty.

They don’t have much time to prepare for their next game as they take on a resurgent Luton Town at Kenilworth Road on Saturday lunchtime.

Press the next page as we predict Chelsea’s starting eleven for the match this weekend.

GK – Djordje Petrovic

The Serbian was very solid against Palace, making two decent saves to deny Mateta and Olise.

Petrovic couldn’t really do much for the goal he conceded. It was a volley from close range, and much of the blame for the goal should be pointed towards those in front of him.

It has to be said that the 24-year-old has done very little wrong since replacing the injured Sanchez.

If he continues in this vein, there is an argument to say that he should stay as the club’s no.1 for the rest of the season.

RB – Malo Gusto

The Frenchman was given the player of the match versus Palace and rightly so.

Gusto was excellent, particularly in the first half. Although he caught the eye with his forays forward, he also contributed defensively, clearing a cross which could have easily led to a goal if he hadn’t made a vital intervention.

Admittedly, when Pochettino switched him to left-back, the 20-year-old’s influence on the game waned, but he should be back in his more natural position versus Luton.

The Hatters do play plenty of long, diagonal balls so Gusto will need to be alert to them.

CB – Axel Disasi

The 25-year-old was the better of the two centre-backs against Palace, which is not saying much, but he did his job defensively.

Disasi is, though, not the best when playing out from the back, and he can lack precision in his passing.

The Frenchman is certainly performing better than Badiashile at the moment, and his physicality will be needed against Luton.

Some fans have been calling for Levi Colwill to start in the centre of defence but you can’t see that happening at Kenilworth Road, where the onus will be on the defence to win aerial duels.

CB – Thiago Silva

The Brazilian didn’t get the rest he was hoping for against Palace.

Pochettino had to bring him on to steady the ship which is rather concerning. After spending so much money, the Blues should not have to rely on a 39-year-old, who is likely to leave Stamford Bridge at the end of the season.

After playing over half an hour on Wednesday evening, it will be hoped that Silva has it in his legs to start at Kenilworth Road.

If Chelsea are to come away with the points, they will have to be solid defensively and they have the best chance of doing that with the Brazilian veteran on the pitch.

LB – Levi Colwill

The 20-year-old was rightly criticised by Chelsea legend Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink for his part in Palace’s goal.

Moises Caicedo must take his share of the blame but Colwill should have been keeping track of Olise, who was given the freedom of Chelsea’s penalty box to slot the ball past Petrovic.

After being substituted before the hour mark, there are questions over whether Colwill will keep his place this weekend.

However, the alternative would be to play Gusto out of position and, as we have seen, he needs to start on the opposite flank in order to get the most out of him.

CM – Moises Caicedo

The Ecuadorian returned to the starting lineup for the Palace game after recovering from illness.

However, Caicedo looked very out of sorts, giving away possession no less than 5 times. He also failed to track Olise for Palace’s equaliser.

With Romeo Lavia now having made his debut, there is scope for Pochettino to change things if he so wishes.

However, Lavia reportedly picked up a thigh injury on Wednesday, so Caicedo will likely keep his place for now.

CM – Conor Gallagher

The 23-year-old had another good game on Wednesday evening, winning tackles and making a number of contributions in the final third.

Gallagher should have had an assist for an excellent defence-splitting pass, but Nicolas Jackson contrived to miss a one-on-one chance.

The fact that Pochettino starts him nearly every single game shows you how highly the manager rates the midfielder.

Yet, it appears Chelsea’s board are more than prepared to let him go next month if a good enough bid is tabled.

AM – Christopher Nkunku

There were plenty of encouraging signs from the Frenchman on his full league debut.

Nkunku was involved in the build-up to the opening goal, and he could have gotten on the scoresheet himself if he hadn’t kicked Chris Richards’ leg instead of the ball.

The 26-year-old’s influence did begin to fade before he was subbed but that is understandable due to how long he has been out for.

Nkunku looks like he will live up to the hype of being Chelsea’s main playmaker going forward.

RW – Cole Palmer

Ian Maatsen didn’t make the most of a rare start against Palace, missing a good chance early on in the game.

The Dutchman will likely be benched for the trip to Luton but Pochettino does have a decision to make with Palmer and Sterling both back available after suspension.

Some may argue that Noni Madueke should be given a starting opportunity after scoring the winner on Wednesday night but you do get the feeling that Pochettino is not completely convinced about the player.

Palmer has shown himself to be a major threat in the final third so he is the likeliest to get the nod for the right wing this weekend.

CF – Nicolas Jackson

The striker is an incredibly frustrating player to watch, but it doesn’t help the player’s confidence if fans get on his back.

Jackson was actually decent in terms of his link-up play against Palace, but he did miss a gilt-edged chance in the second half.

When he did get on the scoresheet with a decent finish, it was ruled out for offside, which kind of summed up the 22-year-old’s night.

After his industrious display, though, there is a good case for keeping him in the team to face Luton.

LW – Mykhailo Mudryk

It was a really good performance from the Ukrainian international against Palace, especially in the first half.

Mudryk set up Maatsen for his chance before cooly finishing himself to put Chelsea 1-0 up. His movement also got him another opportunity as he went one-on-one with Dean Henderson but the Palace keeper saved well.

There is no doubt that the winger is a confidence player and Pochettino needs to keep him in the team for a long spell so he can gain some momentum.

However, Mudryk did pick up a knock prior to being substituted on Wednesday evening so it remains to be seen if he can prove his fitness for the Luton clash.