Liam Rosenior, the manager of Chelsea, has picked Brazilian forward Joao Pedro to lead the line in the Premier League game against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Sunday. The Blues want to make their unbeaten streak against the Eagles last 17 games as they try to win two league games in a row.
The west London team are in sixth place, just one point away from the spots that would qualify them for Europe. Palace are in 13th place. The hosts have had a terrible run, going seven league games without a win, which has put a lot of pressure on manager Oliver Glasner.
Reece James is the captain and plays right back for Rosenior. Trevoh Chalobah and Benoit Badiashile are the two central defenders. The left-back position is held by Marc Cucurella. Moises Caicedo plays in the middle with Andrey Santos, and Enzo Fernandez plays in a more advanced position. Pedro leads the attack, while Estevao and Pedro Neto are the wingers who support him.
Estevao, the Brazilian teen star, gets another start after joining Chelsea in the summer for an initial £29 million from Palmeiras. Since joining the team, the 18-year-old winger has quickly become a fan favorite at Stamford Bridge, breaking several age records. Rosenior has won three of his first four games in charge. The only loss was to Arsenal in the first leg of the EFL Cup semi-final.
Robert Sanchez is in goal for the visitors, who had two clean sheets in a row before this game. Marcus Sharman-Lowe, Josh Acheampong, Wesley Fofana, Malo Gusto, and Jorrel Hato are all defenders on the substitutes’ bench. Alejandro Garnacho, Jamie Gittens, Liam Delap, and Marc Guiu are all options that could come on in the attack.
Chelsea need to win this game to keep their hopes of qualifying for the Champions League alive. The Blues have a good history against Palace, having won all 16 of their last league games against them. Rosenior’s team just won a close 1-0 Champions League game against Pafos in the middle of the week, so the manager will be hoping that fresh legs can take advantage of Palace’s weak defense.
Joao Pedro Wants To Keep Scoring Goals for Chelsea
Joao Pedro is Chelsea’s top scorer this season with seven Premier League goals. The Brazilian forward will try to add to that total against Crystal Palace, who are struggling to keep their defense stable.
Rosenior has helped the 24-year-old striker get back into his groove. Pedro has scored three goals in his last four league games, the most recent being the 2-0 win over Brentford. Chelsea really needed that resurgence from the former Brighton player because they have a lot of games coming up and need him to score goals.
There is a chance to take advantage of Palace’s weak defense. Marc Guehi has been sold to Manchester City, and there are no new defenders coming in. Jefferson Lerma is expected to play in a more defensive role, and the Colombian midfielder might have trouble stopping Pedro and other attackers from moving and finishing in the penalty area.