There is the Manchester derby as well as the North London derby, two of the most anticipated fixtures in the English topflight season in and out but the context of Chelsea’s travel to the Selhurst Park this weekend could see the London derby match steal the headlines this weekend.
It will be Graham Potter’s first domestic game in charge of Chelsea, who are not in very good position following the takeover from their darling owner at the end of last season and the sacking of their loved German manager earlier in the month.
Graham Potter kicks off his first Premier League assignment at Chelsea with a trip to the Selhurst Park to face Crystal Palace, a team he has never tasted victory against in all the seven times he has come up against them.
The Englishman left Brighton to succeed Thomas Tuchel after the German was fired on the back of a poor start to the season and while Potter’s first assignment, which was against Salzburg in Europe wasn’t too satisfying, the quest for a first win under the former Brighton boss will be tricky even against Palace.
Salzburg scored a late equaliser at the Stamford Bridge to deny Potter a win on his first assignment at Chelsea and after over two weeks of holidays, the club will return to action this weekend in the Premier League.
Away at Crystal Palace, a team they have beaten in all of their last ten meetings, a record which has seen them favourites whenever they come up against the Patrick Vieira’s side in recent times.
However, it is a contrast fortune for their new manager, who has never been privilege to achieve a win against Palace in his years at Brighton, having faced the Eagles seven different times.
None of the last 23 games between Chelsea and Crystal Palace has produced a draw, with Chelsea losing only four times in the London derby match, making it one of their favourite fixture in domestic competitions.
Potter will be looking for a win, to help create a good impression of himself amongst the fans and ease what has been a tense atmosphere around the club following the unexpected sacking of one of the most prominent manager in the club’s history.
Palace on the other hand will be out to fancy their chance and continue their dominance over Potter while putting an end to their barren run against the visitors.
N’Golo Kante and Edouard Mendy are expected to return for Chelsea, who are in search of their first away win since the opening day win at Goodison Park while Palace have no major injury concern.
A tricky but mouthwatering clash awaits in the London derby on Saturday afternoon and it will be interesting to see how Potter set up his side against a very energetic Palace side.
Graham Potter has employed four different formation in his last four meetings with Palace just to get a win but none has been able to get him the desired result so far.
From 3-4-2-1 to 3-1-4-2 to 3-4-3 and 4-4-2, however, the 46-year old still can’t get to beat Palace while Patrick Vieira has stick to his infamous 4-3-3 formation, which is not expected to be changed on Saturday.
Chelsea’s current midfield options haven’t been at their best lately but the return of Kanté give Potter another option as well as dimension, which could make him go for a different set-up from the double pivot of Jorginho and Mateo Kovacic played against Salzburg.
Chelsea played with a back four in that match but with more time to prepare and several players returning from injuries, Potter will have a lot of options to call on as he hopes to finally break the Palace jinx.
The return of Christian Pulisic is also good news for Potter. The American has a very good record against the Eagles, scoring five times in six games against them. Against no other team has he scored more in all competitions.
A win is very much needed for Graham Potter on Saturday as any other result will see the fans turn on him and as a new manager, the last thing you want is your own fans against you.
Palace however will be out to crush his dreams. The Eagles have had their way against the top teams in the Premier League in recent times but Chelsea have always been too good for them. The time might be just about right to get a positive outcome against The Blues.
Author: Kehinde Hassan Afolabi
