Chelsea predicted XI vs Palace: back to 3-4-1-2 for Felix-less Blues?

Jorginho, No. 5, Central midfielder

Jorginho came on as a substitute against Fulham and he did nothing of note. He had a poor outing against Manchester City in the FA Cup so it wasn’t a shock to see him dropped to the bench. CFC has lost seven out of their last nine games though, so Potter likely turns back to Jorginho for stability.

Mateo Kovacic, No. 8, Croatia

Almost nothing about Kovacic was good in his last outing. His passing most especially was sub-par, and Joao Paulinha won that midfield battle comfortably.

Hakim Ziyech, No. 22, Right winger

Who starts at right wing is anyone’s guess, but Ziyech may get the run out because Potter is going with the safe option, as he has said earlier that he knows what Ziyech offers. Ziyech was good in the first half against Man City in the league game, but he wasn’t as involved as he should have been, and was even less involved in the second half before he was subbed off.

Mason Mount, No. 19, Left winger

Mount will start again. Potter has said Mount likes to play his way into form so if you thought bad form would be a good enough reason to drop Mount, it turns out that bad form is even more reason to play him.

Kai Havertz, No. 29, Striker

Havertz had a very good connection with Joao Felix, and while Fulham provided Chels‘ with the space, it was still nice to see. He needs to develop that connection with some teammates that are available to play though.