Predicted Chelsea line-up vs Crystal Palace: Fofana rested, Estevao & Palmer start

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·24 janvier 2026

Predicted Chelsea line-up vs Crystal Palace: Fofana rested, Estevao & Palmer start

Chelsea have had some positive fitness updates ahead of their Premier League trip to Crystal Palace on Sunday, and Liam Rosenior is expected to field most of his key players.

There is no doubt that the Champions League clash with Napoli on Wednesday will influence Rosenior's team decisions this weekend.

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After all, Chelsea would likely need to secure a win in Naples to finish in the top eight and avoid play-offs in the Champions League.

That said, the Blues are not exactly in a position where they can afford to slip in the Premier League.

They currently sit sixth in the league table, and could drop to the bottom half of the table with a defeat.

IMAGO / Sportimage

Ideally, Rosenior would like to start most of his key players and be able to substitute them off after putting the game to bed early in the second half at Selhurst Park.

In goal, Robert Sanchez is the most obvious choice, especially since Filip Jorgensen is out with a minor injury.

Reece James and Marc Cucurella are expected to return to the starting 11 at right-back and left-back, respectively.

For the centre-back pairing, Trevoh Chalobah will likely start alongside Josh Acheampong since Wesley Fofana played a full match against Pafos. It would make sense to rest Fofana for the Napoli trip.

IMAGO / Pro Sports Images

Cole Palmer should be ready to start as a number 10, which means Enzo Fernandez will be back in the midfield pivot alongside either Moises Caicedo or Andrey Santos.

Rosenior is spoilt for choice for wingers since both Estevao and Jamie Gittens are close to fully recovering from illness.

Pedro Neto and Estevao could start on the left and right flanks, respectively.

Up front, Joao Pedro should be quite fresh after playing just 20 minutes in the win over Pafos.