Free playing Chelsea welcome fellow london rivals Crystal Palace to the Stamford Bridge on Sunday in the premier league. The Blues are looking to make it 11 games unbeaten in the league this season.

They also sit just 2 points behind co-leaders Manchester City and Liverpool on the log, while Crystal palace are 14th after a bad run of games in recent times.

Team Analysis

Chelsea

In premier league history, only Frank Clark, manager of Nottingham Forest in 1994-1995 season has enjoyed an unbeaten start (11 games) better than Maurizio Sarri of Chelsea. And the blues boss is ready to equal that record.

Sarri’s unbeaten start is already two matches longer than previous Chelsea managers Jose Mourinho and Luiz Felipe Scolari , and should he extend it this weekend then it would be only the third time in the club’s history that they have begun a top-flight campaign without losing any of their first 11 games.

Manchester City and Liverpool have also not lost after 10 games and are two points clear of Chelsea, who themselves are two points above Arsenal and three points above Tottenham Hotspur.

Chelsea will be firm favourites to extend both runs against Roy Hodgson’s side who are in poor form, but with Liverpool and Man City both in action before them this weekend, the pressure could be on to keep pace with that leading pack by the time they kick off.

Hazard may be welcomed back from injury on sunday, this is according to Head Coach Sarri. The Belgian wizard has been nursing a back injury for the past two weeks.

Alvaro Morata is expected to lead the line with Willian, Jorginho, Kante, David Luiz, and Rudiger all set to feature.

Chelsea possible starting eleven:

Kepa; Azpilicueta, Rudiger, Luiz, Alonso; Kante, Jorginho, Barkley; Willian, Morata, Hazard

Crystal Palace

Palace’s last match was against Arsenal and the match ended in a 2-2 draw. That match gave them their first point in more than a month, although their winless run in the league has not ended.

The Eagles are just three points above the relgation zone and are now faced withthe task of staying up. Should they lose against Chelsea and any of the teams in the relagtion zone wins, Palace could be in serious trouble again.

They have won just one game of their last nine games, losing six and managing just 2 draws. More disappointment occured in midweek when the Eagles were eliminated from the EFL Cup at the hands of Championship side Middlesbrough.

Hodgson will be hoping to turn things around quickly before the very busy december run of games.

Wilfried Zaha picked up a shoulder injury against Arsenal in the weekend and is in a race to be fit for sunday’s match. Christian Benteke and Joe Ward are however still sidelined.

Crystal Palace possible starting eleven:

Hennessey; Wan-Bissaka, Tomkins, Sakho, Van Aanholt; Townsend, Kouyate, Milivojevic, McArthur; Ayew, Zaha

Head To Head

Palace have won two of the last three premier league matches between the two sides.