After their triumph in the USA, world champions Chelsea will be looking to mount a title challenge this Premier League as they face FA Cup winners Crystal Palace
Enzo Maresca
Enzo Maresca will be looking for his Chelsea side to mount a Premier League challenge
(Image: Getty Images)
Chelsea return to Stamford Bridge on Sunday with the wind at their backs after a season that re‑established standards. Crystal Palace cross the river with silverware and a hardened edge. It is a London derby that carries more than first‑week nerves: one club talking about titles, the other determined to prove last year’s breakthrough was a springboard, not a one‑off.
Fourth place with 69 points, 64 scored and 43 conceded was a tangible step forward, but the bigger marker was how Chelsea played: cleaner structures, quicker circulation and a defence that bent less. The summer added a headline: world champions, courtesy of the Club World Cup, which has sharpened expectations around a title tilt. That ambition brings pressure to start fast at home, impose tempo and show control without the ball.
Palace’s 12th‑place finish with 53 points (51 scored, 51 conceded) reads steady on paper; in reality it was the club’s most decorated season, crowned by an FA Cup win over Manchester City. That final hardened belief and gave the group a reference point for tight matches. The spine is organised, the wingers break lines, and there is enough nous in midfield to slow games down when needed.
Chelsea vs Crystal Palace
Chelsea face the opener without Levi Colwill for the long haul after an ACL tear in pre-season. With Wesley Fofana and Benoît Badiashile also encountering setbacks, Enzo Maresca is set to pair Tosin Adarabioyo with Trevoh Chalobah at centre-back to restore height and recovery pace in the back line.
Further forward, Nicolas Jackson’s suspension from his red card at Newcastle late last season rules him out, pointing to a start for Joao Pedro even after Liam Delap’s lively brace from the bench against Milan last week. Romeo Lavia remains sidelined, so the XI that faced the Rossoneri is the template Maresca is most likely to trust again.
Crystal Palace welcomed Adam Wharton back for the Community Shield after his late‑season lay‑off, a timely boost for control in the middle third. Captain Marc Guéhi is also back in the matchday picture, though interest from Liverpool has put his future under a cloud. Daichi Kamada’s injury last weekend complicates selection; Will Hughes and Jefferson Lerma are competing to partner Wharton if Kamada does not make it. Eddie Nketiah misses out with a pre-season muscle problem, joining long‑term absentees Cheick Doucouré and Chadi Riad.
Chelsea vs Crystal Palace
Chelsea: Sanchez; Gusto, Chalobah, Adarabioyo, Curucrella; Caicedo, Fernandez; Neto, Palmer, Pedro; Delap
Crystal Palace: Henderson; Guehi, Lacroix, Richards; Munoz, Wharton, Hughes, Mitchell; Eze, Mateta, Sarr
Chelsea vs Crystal Palace
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