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Chelsea line-ups for Crystal Palace as Cole Palmer and Wesley Fofana disagreement emerges
Football | January 24, 2026 5:40 PM CST

Liam Rosenior has been in his post as Chelsea head coach for less than three weeks and is preparing for his fifth game in charge. January has been non-stop for the Blues in terms of the scheduling and there are still three matches left this month.

Starting on Sunday when Chelsea make the trip down to south London to take on Crystal Palace. The Blues will be hoping this weekend is the right time to play Palace, who have been rocked by a chaotic month behind the scenes.

Oliver Glasner last week announced he will be departing Selhurst Park at the end of the season and a few days later, his captain Marc Guehi completed a move to Manchester City. Chelsea will be hoping to capitalise on the upheaval at the south London club but Rosenior will be solely focused on how his side can continue to progress under his leadership.

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With that said, football.london writers Bobby Vincent and Jake Stokes discuss the XI they would field if they were in Rosenior's shoes.

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Bobby Vincent

Filip Jorgensen limped off injured in Wednesday night's win over Pafos. Regardless, Robert Sanchez would have come back into the side for this one. In front of him, Reece James, who came off at half-time on Wednesday with Rosenior looking to manage his captain's minutes, should start at right-back.

Wesley Fofana has featured in the last three matches and should be protected in south London. Trevoh Chalobah is expected to return to the side on Sunday, with Benoit Badiashile his partner. Marc Cucurella should come in for Jorrel Hato, despite the Dutchman's recent form.

Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez as a double pivot. In front of the midfield duo, Estevao Willian should start on the right wing after impressing off the bench at Stamford Bridge in midweek.

Cole Palmer was left out of the squad on Wednesday as a precaution but is in contention to return this weekend. The 23-year-old should start as the No.10 at Selhurst Park, with Pedro Neto moving to the left-hand side and Joao Pedro as the sole striker.

Bobby's XI: Sanchez; James, Chalobah, Badiashile, Cucurella; Caicedo, Fernandez; Estevao, Palmer, Neto; Joao Pedro

Jake Stokes

I expect Rosenior to make lots of changes this weekend. Although Crystal Palace have failed to win each of their last 10 games across all competitions, I fear that they could be a difficult nut to crack – especially if Glasner's side can get the Selhurst Park faithful off their seats in the opening minutes.

It goes without saying these days that Sanchez should start between the sticks – bar the Carabao Cup semi-final first leg, he's been class. Rosenior will likely bring Chalobah back in. If it were up to me, I would go for Fofana alongside him. Seeing as Malo Gusto has only recently returned from an injury, Josh Acheampong should be given a chance at right-back; he was superb in the return fixture at Stamford Bridge, albeit at centre-half.

I expect Rosenior to take some risks in the middle of the park. The Chelsea boss could partner James with Andrey Santos and bring Palmer back into the side. The Napoli clash on Wednesday night is huge, so Fernandez and Caicedo could be put on stand-by.

As for the front-three, Jamie Gittens enjoyed a promising cameo off the bench in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday night, as did Estevao. They both deserve starts. And finally, Joao Pedro should, and likely will, lead the frontline.

Jake's XI: Sanchez; Acheampong, Chalobah, Fofana, Cucurella; Santos, James; Estevao, Palmer, Gittens; Joao Pedro


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