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Football London
Football London
Sport
Robert Warlow

James McArthur to start, Andros Townsend to return: Predicted Crystal Palace line up vs Chelsea

It is another London derby today for Crystal Palace as they travel to face Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

And Palace boss Roy Hodgson has the luxury of a fully-fit squad to choose from for his 300th Premier League game as a manager , with the Eagles boss confirming at his pre-match press conference that he was "fortunate" to have every player ready to take on the Blues.

That includes Andros Townsend, who has recovered from a muscle strain after missing the defeat against Leicester City last weekend, while Mamadou Sakho has also recovered from a muscular injury and Connor Wickham is also in contention to feature.

In addition, Gary Cahill and Cheikhou Kouyate have made swift recoveries from knocking heads, while James McArthur is available after going off with a back problem during the defeat against Leicester.

But that leaves Hodgson with some decisions to make when it comes to his team selection for the game against Chelsea.

Does he continue with McArthur in midfield? Does Townsend come back into the side? And who plays in central defence with Sakho now fit?

The likelihood is that Sakho will have to be content with a place on the bench at best, having not played for Palace since the 1-1 draw with Wolves in September.

Premier League match preview: Chelsea v Crystal Palace

The Frenchman has missed the past few weeks and is likely to be short of match fitness, meaning to start him would be risky.

Gary Cahill and James Tomkins have been the preferred partnership in the last couple of games, and are likely to continue against Chelsea, with Cahill coming up against his former club for the first time since leaving Stamford Bridge this summer.

But with central defenders Scott Dann and Martin Kelly both named among the substitutes last week, Hodgson has a decision to make over who to include in his matchday squad and who to leave out.

There is not likely to be a change in goal, with Vicente Guaita set to continue between the sticks, while Jordan Ayew deserves to keep his place up front, even if there is an argument that Christian Benteke's aerial threat could potentially expose a weakness in Chelsea's defence.

One change Hodgson could make is to start Townsend, with former Leicester City man Jeffrey Schlupp the likeliest to make way.

With McArthur fit, he could start again in the centre of midfield alongside Luka Milivojevic and Kouyate, with Townsend on the wing.

That would leave the likes of Max Meyer, James McCarthy and Victor Camarasa again hoping to make an impact from the bench, albeit with increased competition for places in the matchday squad coming from the players returning from injury.

Predicted Palace team to face Chelsea: Guaita, Ward, Cahill, Tomkins, van Aanholt, Milivojevic, Kouyate, McArthur, Townsend, Zaha, Ayew.

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