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Chelsea will look to continue its fine summer as it begins its Premier League campaign against Crystal Palace at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.
The Blues thrashed Paris Saint-Germain to claim the Club World Cup trophy just over a month ago but after a short rest, focus is back on domestic matters and Chelsea will be eager to challenge for the title this season.
Palace meanwhile come into the opening weekend encounter after beating Liverpool in the season curtain raiser last weekend. The Eagles, who won the FA Cup back in May, beat Liverpool on penalties to claim the Community Shield at Wembley.
But Oliver Glasner's preparations have been hampered by transfer speculation, with the Reds continuing to monitor Marc Guehi's situation at Selhurst Park, with his contract expiring next summer.
It has also emerged that Tottenham is progressing in talks with England international Eberechi Eze and it remains to be seen if either of the duo are involved in the London derby on Sunday.
How to watch Chelsea vs Crystal Palace
The encounter at Stamford Bridge is set to get underway at 2pm BST (9am ET) on Sunday August 17.
For fans in the US, the game will be shown live on USA Network and can also be streamed online via NBC.com. UK supporters will be able to tune in to Sky Sports Premier League and Main Event to get a slice of the action.
Team news
Chelsea has been rocked by a serious knee injury to Levi Colwill, with the defender set to miss most of the season. Tosin Adarabioyo is also out for the Blues, while Wesley Fofana is not expected to feature.
Nicolas Jackson, who is expected to leave, misses out through suspension but there should be debuts for Joao Pedro, Liam Delap and Jamie Gittens.
Palace meanwhile will make a late decision on Eze and Guehi, while Cheick Doucoure, Daichi Kamada and Eddie Nketiah will all be absent.
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What the managers said
Enzo Maresca: "We guess we are ready, but we need to wait for the real competition to verify that. It’s been quite a short break. We are going to try to be ready.
"Sunday's game will be very difficult. [Palace won] the Community Shield against Liverpool and the FA Cup against Manchester City. So, in two finals, beat two of the best teams in England in the last 15 years. So it shows how complicated it will be on Sunday."
Oliver Glasner: “Marc has trained the entire week with us, every single training session, the same with Ebs.
“They’ve prepared the best way for the Chelsea game on Sunday afternoon.
“I’ve been in the football business for too long, so I know that at any time of any day, things can happen. If you ask me now, I expect both Marc and Ebs to start on Sunday.”
English (US) ·