Defensive midfield: Caicedo, Gallagher
Conor Gallagher has arguably been Chelsea’s strongest performer this season, and the stand-in captain will surely be one of the first names on Pochettino’s team sheet. Enzo Fernandez missed the defeat to Wolves due to a hernia which may not have healed in time for Palace’s visit to west London, so the Blues will hope that Moises Caicedo is ready to return after a bout of illness.
Attacking midfield: Madueke, Nkunku, Mudryk
Yellow card suspensions for Raheem Sterling, who would normally start on the left, and Cole Palmer, who has been a star turn in the number ten role, are set to clear a path for Pochettino to experiment with a new-look attacking foursome.
