Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Football London
Football London
Sport
Oliver Harbord & Alan Smith

Jorginho starts with Zouma over Rudiger - The team Frank Lampard should pick vs Crystal Palace

Chelsea are looking to get back on a winning run when they take on Crystal Palace tomorrow evening at Selhurst Park.

The Blues were impressive in their 3-0 victory over Watford on Saturday night, but the race for the Premier League's top four is set to go down to the wire.

Frank Lampard's side can't afford many more slips for the rest of the campaign if they are going to secure a Champions League place for next season.

The Blues are going to be without N'Golo Kante, Mateo Kovacic and Fikayo Tomori tomorrow night through injury, so which team should Lampard pick?

Our writers have their say right here.

Crystal Palace v Chelsea: Frank Lampard press conference

Oliver Harbord - Chelsea correspondent

The big miss for Chelsea will be N'Golo Kante, who is set to be out due to a hamstring problem picked up in the win over Watford.

It will either be Jorginho or Billy Gilmour, but I would go for the more experienced Italy international, despite having not played a single minute of action since the restart of the Premier League.

While Lampard has often shifted around his back line on several occasions this season, the clean sheet against Watford should be enough to convince him that Kurt Zouma and Andreas Christensen should start again.

Up front, Christian Pulisic is a sure starter, while Willian is in good form and Olivier Giroud bagged another goal at the weekend and is really proving his worth to the team.

Harbord's team (4-3-3): Kepa; James, Christensen, Zouma, Azpilicueta; Barkley, Kante, Mount; Willian, Giroud, Pulisic.

Alan Smith - Senior writer

The balance to the team was much better against Watford and considering Crystal Palace will set out similarly by sitting back with an aim to counterattack, changes should be kept to a minimum.

N'Golo Kante's absence will be keenly felt but expect Jorginho to get his first minutes since the restart.

Ross Barkley and Mason Mount did well at getting between the lines on Saturday night, so deserve to retain their spots while the front three will not change.

The back four also did well, with Reece James and Cesar Azpilicueta doing well in the full back roles.

.They should get plenty of opportunity to push forward against a Palace team that has lost three in a row and does not have as much opportunity to rotate compared to other teams.

Smith's team (4-3-3): Kepa; James, Zouma, Christensen, Azpilicueta; Jorginho; Barkley, Mount; Willian, Giroud, Pulisic.

Have your say on the team Lampard should pick using the widget above.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.