Crystal Palace vs. Chelsea confirmed lineups: Jackson starts, Nkunku on bench

9 months ago 50

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      February 12th 2024, 19:05  

Crystal Palace are preparing to welcome Chelsea to Selhurst Park for Monday night’s Premier League action.

Tonight’s game could very well be Roy Hodgson’s last in charge following an abysmal spell which has seen the Eagles win just two of their last 12 Premier League games.

And although tonight’s opponents are also enduring a tough campaign, there is hope Mauricio Pochettino’s men turned a corner with their recent FA Cup 3-1 away win over Aston Villa.

Both sides are racked with injuries though. The most notable absentee tonight will be Michael Olise, who was recently ruled out for up to two months with a hamstring injury.

It isn’t just Palace who are without key players though. Pochettino has been forced to rethink his defence after Benoit Badiashile was recently ruled out for a month.

There is some good news though — attacking midfielder Christopher Nkunku is on the bench and could be introduced again later in the game.

Victory for either side will see their seasons handed a major boost. Palace are in the more precarious position though — the Londoners sit 15th in the table just five points from safety.

Elsewhere, even though all three points for Chelsea would only see them move up one place to 10th, they’d close the gap on European qualification to 12 points.