Chelsea may have won three of their four games under Liam Rosenior, but this doesn’t quite tell the full story of his tenure so far. Chelsea have been pretty poor in all four of these matches, and we haven't seen the typical bounce we see with new managers when they come into a club. I’m not convinced that Rosenior will be able to control the aggression and occasional petulance of this Chelsea side, which is directly related to the youthful profile of the squad.

I do think Chelsea need more experience in the side to counter their discipline issues, they also need more leaders. It doesn’t take much to unnerve this Chelsea side, who often don’t deal well with adversity. Chelsea have picked up 50 yellow cards across their 22 Premier League games this season (2.27 per game) - only three sides in the Premier League have collected more cautions.

Chelsea also have an issue when it comes to red cards, with five already in the Premier League this season, which is more than any other side in the division. The initial league meeting between these sides saw Chelsea commit 10 fouls and pick up two yellow cards as Palace held them to a 0-0 draw. I think Chelsea will have issues when it comes to breaking down the mid block of Palace, which can be one of the most effective in the league.

Crystal Palace rely on corners at the moment to ensure that they maintain an attacking threat in their Premier League matches. The Eagles have failed to win any of their last 10 matches across all competitions, and have a torrid record against Chelsea, but set pieces could give them an edge in this contest.

Oliver Glasner’s side have scored eight goals from set pieces in the Premier League this season, representing 34% of their total goals in the top flight this term. Palace saw set pieces account for 29% of their goals in the Premier League last season, so this is a consistent part of their game which they will lean on to try and create chances against this Chelsea side.

Chelsea look far from convincing at set pieces, which is an issue that has carried over from Maresca’s time in charge. They’ve conceded from two set pieces already under Liam Rosenior’s reign, with Charlton and Arsenal the beneficiaries across his early games in charge. 

Chelsea are conceding 4.91 corners per game on the road this season - and allowed Brentford to register nine corners in their 2-0 win over the Bees in their most recent Premier League assignment. That corner count from Keith Andrews’ side represents the second occasion in Rosenior’s brief tenure where Chelsea have conceded 9+ corners. 

Alejandro Garnacho is a frustrating player to watch at times, but one very notable aspect of his game is how often he takes aim at goal. Garnacho’s first instinct is usually to shoot when he gets close to the goal, even when there are better options available. It’s a part of his game that he does need to work on, but it’s great for our selection with his current shot numbers.

Garnacho has had 22 shots across his 11 starts in the Premier League this season (2.41 per 90). This is a good example of where Garnacho needs to refine his game a bit; only five of these attempts have found the target (23%), which backs up the point about the winger taking aim when there are better options available to him.

There’s also evidence to suggest that Garmacho’s shot count will continue to climb, despite the inconsistency in his aim. Garnacho took 84 shots across his 23 Premier League appearances last season (3.44 per 90), maintaining a 36% shot accuracy across these games. Garnacho should continue to be erratic with his efforts against a Palace side that is likely to invite pressure in a mid-low block.

Enzo Fernandez committed three fouls and was shown a yellow card during the week as Chelsea registered a 1-0 win over Pafos. He was playing in a more advanced role with Caicedo and James sitting behind him - though he is expected to drop deeper here and partner Caicedo, which is advantageous for our selection.

Fernandez has committed 22 fouls across his 20 Premier League appearances this season (1.11 per 90) and has committed a foul in two of his last five Premier League appearances. Fernandez didn’t commit a foul in the initial league meeting between the sides, but this selection would have landed through Super Sub as Andrey Santos came on for the Argentine and committed a foul.

Fernandez is likely to face up against a midfield duo of Will Hughes and Adam Wharton here, with the duo combining to win 2.23 fouls per 90 in the Premier League this season. Fernandez committed four fouls in this fixture last season as the sides played out a 1-1 draw; he also received a yellow card in that contest.

Liam Delap is slowly growing into his role as Chelsea’s main striker after a difficult adjustment period at the start of the season, which was disrupted by injury. He scored his first Premier League goal for Chelsea in their most recent away game in the top flight as they fell to a 2-1 defeat against Fulham.

Strikers need confidence to play well, and Delap is showing signs that he is growing in this department. He could be a crucial piece of the puzzle for Chelsea here, with the Blues expected to face a stubborn mid block from the Eagles. Joao Pedro has shown promise at times in the striker role, but I think Chelsea need a physical presence to occupy the back three of Palace.

Delap also crucially gives Chelsea something to aim for in the box. The Blues can occasionally run out of ideas from open play when facing such an organised side, which results in Liam Rosenior’s side sending cross after cross into the box - or relying on set pieces to find their breakthrough.

Delap netted 12 goals across his 32 Premier League appearances for Ipswich last season, a more than respectable tally for a player featuring in a side that faced relegation last season. I think he’ll continue to grow at Chelsea, with his physicality setting him apart from the other forward options that the Blues currently have at the club.

Wesley Fofana is one of the most aggressive centre-backs in the Premier League and has committed 12 fouls across his nine starts in the top flight this term (1.37 per 90). Fofana is set to line up on the right side of a back three here when Chelsea are in possession, which is the preferred structure of Liam Rosenior, which will pit Fofana up against Yeremy Pino.

Pino is just as careless with his challenges as Fofana and has committed 22 fouls across his 18 appearances in the Premier League this season (1.37 per 90). With the pair being equally aggressive off the ball, I can see a real battle forming between the duo - particularly in instances where Palace put a few passes together in transition, and Fofana is the last line of defence.

Pino is also winning 1.18 fouls won per 90 in the Premier League this term, so he should be able to test Fofana on a few occasions and rope in the Frenchman to commit a few fouls and catch the eye of the referee. Fofana has picked up two yellow cards across his nine starts in the Premier League this term, and picked up seven yellow cards across 14 starts in the Premier League last term. 

Will Hughes was shown a yellow card in the initial league meeting between these sides back on the opening weekend of the season. Hughes has been one of Palace’s most consistent performers over the last few years and rarely gets the credit he deserves - but his aggressive nature is also a consistent part of his game and can contribute to Hughes picking up a card here.

Hughes has picked up four yellow cards across just 11 starts in the Premier League this season - only Tyrick Mitchell (5) has collected more cautions for the Eagles this season than Hughes. He’s committed just 12 fouls across these games (1.12 per 90), which tells us that Hughes’ challenges tend to be very reckless, as this is a modest foul average when compared to his current card count.

Hughes picked up 11 yellow cards in the Premier League last season, which was more than any other Crystal Palace player. His main opponent here is likely to be Cole Palmer, who has won 15 fouls across his 10 starts in the Premier League this season (1.78 per 90).