Chelsea have the opportunity to build on their huge 3-1 victory on the road to Aston Villa on Monday as they face Crystal Palace.
The Blues have conceded four goals in their last two Premier League matches, including at home to Wolverhampton Wanderers last weekend.
However, Mauricio Pochettino could unleash a duo at Selhurst Park that’s only started once together this season.
Nicolas Jackson and Christopher Nkunku this season
Nicolas Jackson and Christopher Nkunku were both brought to the club last summer for a combined fee of £83m, but both players’ are yet to reach their full potential in their new environment.
Jackson has featured quite heavily under Pochettino, starting 16 games in the top flight. However, since being deployed in a left-wing role against Luton Town and Villa, the ex-Villarreal gem has assisted and scored in those matches respectively.
Overall this season, the number 15 has scored seven goals in the Premier League and picked up two assists, which makes him Chelsea’s second-highest scorer in the league behind Cole Palmer.
Premier League
2 in 5
9 in 20
FA Cup
0 in 1
1 in 1
EFL Cup
0 in 1
1 in 4
On the other hand, Nkunku’s campaign has been massively hindered by injuries, but he is slowly getting up to speed, playing in all of Chelsea’s last seven matches. Over this spell, the former RB Leipzig star has scored twice, with both of those coming in the Premier League.
Why Jackson and Nkunku must start vs Palace
Funnily enough, the only time that the duo have both featured in the starting XI together this season was in Chelsea’s 2-1 win over Palace in December.
Yet during that game, Jackson featured as the number nine, with Nkunku in the number ten role. On Monday, Pochettino should look to play the 22-year-old in the left-wing position he undertook on Wednesday and the French attacker as the centre forward.
Due to Palace inevitably playing a low block like they did in the reverse fixture, as shown by their 36% possession, the creativity in the Chelsea side will be tested. Most of that responsibility will fall on the shoulders of Palmer, who likes to cut inside onto his left foot from the right, where he has created seven big chances from this campaign.
Jackson playing out wide would see him pick up plenty of positions at the back post, where he can use his athleticism and movement to combine with the former Citizen, in a similar fashion to how he scored against the Villans in the week.
Nkunku is also known for being “unstoppable” due to his movement, as per journalist Zach Lowy, and his ability to find space in a crowded box to put the ball in the back of the net will be vital on Monday, which is how he scored versus Liverpool.
It wouldn’t be a surprise to see Chelsea win this game via Jackson at the back post or an Nkunku swivel and finish in the box, and therefore, they both must start.