Crystal Palace

This is Roy Hodgson's 300th Premier League match as a manager. He is the 15th manager to reach this total. Will he be celebrating the milestone with a win? Here come the teams...

Steve Sidwell
Former Chelsea midfielder on BBC Radio 5 Live

Christian Benteke isn't in form. If you go back to when he was, with Wilfried Zaha and Andros Townsend wide, if they put any decent delivery in, they've got a real chance. But he's out of form and Jordan Ayew doesn't offer the same kind of threat with crosses coming in. He really does put a shift in, but it's always down to Zaha and Townsend to get their moments of magic.

So just how good have Chelsea been lately?

While leaders Liverpool and defending champions Manchester City have both dropped points in the last five games, Chelsea have picked up a maximum 15.

No sign of Arsenal, Tottenham or Manchester United near the top of the form table, while Brighton and Wolves have been picking up wins at a consistent rate.

Jared Maobe: Sometimes you make that one stupid mistake and it costs you dearly. Marcos Alonso's stupid tackle towards the end of the first half against Ajax that generated their third goal may have defined his season already.

Leon Osman
Former Everton midfielder on BBC Radio 5 Live

Roy Hodgson is not prepared to give up the solidity of the team and they want the front three to do all of the attacking. If they're having an off day, and Wilfried Zaha's gone 11 without a goal, he doesn't really change it. He could put an extra attacking midfielder in there but he's not prepared to do that.

It will be a strange experience for Cesar Azpilicueta sat on the substitutes bench. This the first Chelsea league match that the Spaniard has not started since November 2017.

Azpilicueta had started 73 consecutive Premier League matches before today.

Both Chelsea and Crystal Palace players will be wearing special-edition shirts embroidered with a poppy ahead of Remembrance Sunday.

Alistair Bruce-Ball
MOTD commentator at Stamford Bridge

This is Crystal Palace's fourth game in a row against one of the Premier League's current top five, and the way Chelsea are going it could be as tricky as any of them.

We're always told to expect inconsistency from young players making regular starts in Premier League football but so far Fikayo Tomori, Mason Mount and Tammy Abraham have been the complete opposite and they've got Chelsea aiming for a sixth Premier League win in a row.

Image source, Reuters

Alistair Magowan
BBC Sport

Chelsea might be one of the most successful teams in the Premier League era, but there have been times when they have been hard to warm to for neutral observers.

They had a high turnover of managers, who often preferred substance over style, farmed young English talent out on loan and had a team led by a divisive captain in John Terry.

This season's expectations might have been tempered by the two-window transfer ban and Frank Lampard being only in his second season of management after reaching the Championship play-offs with Derby County last season.

But, with Chelsea two points behind second-placed Manchester City in the Premier League and well placed in their Champions League group, Lampard's appointment appears shrewd on several levels.

Read more from BBC Sport's Alistair Magowan on Frank Lampard's impact here.

Image source, Reuters

Football Focus

Former Aston Villa forward Dion Dublin and ex-Arsenal defender Martin Keown look ahead to the weekend's games - including Sunday's mouth-watering clash between Liverpool and Manchester City - on Football Focus. It starts at 12:05 GMT on BBC One and comes live from Maidenhead United ahead of the non-league club's FA Cup first round tie with League One Rotherham United.

Chelsea

With an average age of 24 years and 88 days, Chelsea have named their youngest starting XI for a Premier League game, and the youngest of any team in the competition this season.

Applause breaks out from the early arrivals at Stamford Bridge as Gary Cahill makes his way out with the rest of his Crystal Palace team-mates to warm up...

Daniel Pioro: Extraordinary Chelsea line-up today, and I don’t believe we’d have ever seen such a thing without the transfer ban plus Frank Lampard’s total conviction. Optimistic times, win, lose, or draw.

Chelsea

Tammy Abraham has scored nine goals in 13 Premier League games for Chelsea. If he scores in this game, he’d be the second youngest player to reach double figures in the competition for the Blues (22y 38d) after Arjen Robben (21y 342d), while only Diego Costa (9) and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink (11) will have done so in fewer games.

Image source, Rex Features

It's a huge day for Gary Cahill.

The former England defender won two league titles, one Champions League, two FA Cups, two Europa Leagues and one League Cup during seven years at Stamford Bridge before joining Palace in August.

Blues skipper Cesar Azpilicueta, speaking in the programme, says: "It will be great to see you, but as soon as the ball is kicked I know we will both be looking only to win the game for our teams."

Azpilicueta is on the bench today.

Mike Sleigh: This is Chelsea's best XI - and half of it contains players who have come through the academy. Wouldn't have thought that in pre- season.

Image source, Getty Images

Which one of these two will be smiling later on?

Chelsea boss Frank Lampard, speaking to BT Sport about Crystal Palace manager Roy Hodgson: "When I was a player, I loved him as a man to speak to. I'm honoured to go up against Roy."

This is Hodgson's 300th Premier League game as a manager. Lampard is 288 behind.

Crystal Palace

Crystal Palace’s Jordan Ayew could become the fourth player in Premier League history to score away against Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea within the same campaign, after Robbie Earle (1995-96), Darren Bent (2008-09) and Ashley Barnes (2018-19).

Image source, Rex Features

Willian leads Chelsea as Cesar Azpilicueta drops to the bench. And what a day for Reece James - a first Premier League start for the 19-year-old full-back.

Image source, BBC Sport

Chelsea manager Frank Lampard makes three changes to the side that drew 4-4 with Ajax in the Champions League on Tuesday. N'Golo Kante, Reece James and Emerson all start, with Jorginho and Marcos Alonso absent and Cesar Azpilicueta dropping to the bench.

Chelsea: Kepa, James, Tomori, Zouma, Emerson, Kante, Mount, Kovacic, Willian, Pulisic, Abraham

Subs:Caballero, Christensen, Giroud, Hudson-Odoi, Batshuayi, Azpilicueta, Gilmour

Image source, BBC Sport

Crystal Palace manager Roy Hodgson makes one change to his starting XI from the 2-0 defeat to Leicester last Sunday.

Andros Townsend has recovered from the muscular injury he sustained at Arsenal and replaces Jeffrey Schlupp.

Crystal Palace XI: Guaita, Ward, Tomkins, Cahill, Van Aanholt, Milivojevic, Kouyate, McArthur, Townsend, Zaha, Ayew

Subs: Hennessey, Dann, Schlupp, Benteke, McCarthy, Kelly, Riedewald