Graham Potter will take charge of his first Premier League game as Chelsea manager when the Blues face Crystal Palace on Saturday afternoon.
It's been nearly a month since Chelsea last played in the Premier League - a 2-1 win over West Ham United. The passing of Queen Elizabeth II saw Chelsea's last two Premier League fixtures postponed, with the Blues' last outing prior to the international break a 1-1 draw against RB Salzburg in the Champions League.
The clash with Salzburg was Potter's first match as Chelsea's boss following the sacking of Tuchel, and the Englishman will be looking to get off to a winning start against Palace on Saturday. The Blues have won their last nine consecutive Premier League games against their south-London opposition.
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Edouard Mendy may return for Chelsea after training during the week, though Marc Cucurella has been struggling with illness, meaning the Spaniard could join N'Golo Kante on the sidelines. Apart from those three players, the Blues have a fully fit squad to pick from against Palace.
So, what could the score be when Chelsea face Palace on Saturday? We simulated the game to find out.
Crystal Palace vs Chelsea score simulated
To complete this simulation, we used FIFA 23 and updated the squads with the latest injuries and suspensions.
We predict that the Blues could set up in a 3-5-2 formation, with their line-up as follows: Kepa, Fofana, Silva, Koulibaly; James, Jorginho, Kovacic, Mount, Sterling; Havertz, Aubameyang.
We predict that Palace could line up in a 4-3-3 formation, with their line-up as follows: Guaita; Ward, Andersen, Guehi, Mitchell; Schlupp, Doucoure, Eze; Ayew, Mateta, Zaha.
Chelsea impressed in the opening stages, with the 3-5-2 set-up working well for the Blues. Part of the set-up saw Raheem Sterling deployed as a left wing-back, and the England international grabbed the assist for Chelsea's opening goal.
As he picked up the ball on the left, Sterling raced down the line to break forward, beating Joel Ward for pace. As Sterling entered the final third, the winger set up Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in the box who curled his effort past the 'keeper at the near post.
Chelsea dominated the opening stages of the game, and in the space of 10 minutes, Kai Havertz scored twice to put the Blues 3-0 ahead at half-time. The first goal was almost a carbon copy of the first - Sterling broke down the left and set up the German in the box to prod home.
Chelsea's wide players continued to cause havoc for the third- this time Reece James the provider. The defender burst down the right before cutting in and finding Havertz, and the German powered his strike into the far corner to put the Blues three goals ahead.
Crystal Palace only had one opportunity all game, and it saw the home side pull a goal back. Jean-Philippe Mateta finished off a swift counter-attack for the Eagles, but the Blues held out for a solid victory.
FIFA 23 predicted final score: Crystal Palace 1-3 Chelsea
Here are the full-time match stats.
FIFA 23 predicts that Chelsea could ease to a 3-1 victory over Crystal Palace on Saturday, with Potter leading his side to victory in his first Premier League game as Chelsea boss. Aubameyang's opener followed by Havertz's brace secured the win, with the Blues hoping for a similar performance in real life.
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