Chelsea
will be without two of their most important players on Boxing Day, after
both Diego Costa and N'Golo Kante picked up their fifth bookings of the
season against Crystal Palace.
The pair will now be suspended for the Blues' home game with Bournemouth on
Boxing Day after receiving yellow cards in the 1-0 victory over Palace,
leaving boss Antonio Conte with a selection dilemma.
Here we take a look at the importance of both players - and how the Italian
manager could look to cover their absence.
Diego Costa
Costa headed in his 13th Premier League goal of the season at Selhurst Park
on Saturday to set Chelsea on course for their 11th straight win. That goal
also means the rejuvenated Spanish striker has already passed his tally for
the entirety of last season.
Conte has described Costa as his "warrior" and the top flight's leading
scorer has started every Premier League game this season. They have no
like-for-like replacement.
However, Costa's suspension may give Michy Batshuayi his chance. The
£33.2million summer signing has been restricted to EFL Cup action and
fleeting substitute appearances so far this season and will be eager to show
what he can do.
The Belgian scored 23 times in 50 games across all competitions for
Marseille in 2015-16 but so far has just the one Premier League goal to his
name - an equaliser in Chelsea's late comeback win at Watford in August.
Nineteen-year-old Englishman Dominic Solanke is the only other out-and-out
striker in the Chelsea squad, but Pedro, Eden Hazard and Cesc Fabregas could
be among the options for a 'false nine' role, should Conte wish to tinker
with his tactics.
N'Golo Kante
Equally tricky to replace will be Kante. Sky Sports revealed the former
Leicester City central midfielder has won more Premier League points since
the start of last season than any other player and, after helping Claudio
Ranieri's men to top spot last season, has been integral to Chelsea's title
charge this term.
The Frenchman ranks among the Premier League's top five players for tackles
and interceptions after topping those categories last season and has added
extra protection in front of Chelsea's backline, helping Conte's side record
the joint-best defensive record in the division so far.
So how do you replace Chelsea's chief destroyer? It may be that Conte turns
to Cesc Fabregas. The Spaniard is more renowned for his creativity than
defensive work but, with Kante's partner Nemanja Matic returning to the form
which saw him so impressively marshal the midfield during Chelsea's 2014-15
title-winning season, the Italian may depend on the Serbian to break up
Bournemouth's play.
Out-of-favour John Obi Mikel would be a more natural replacement for Kante's
skills, while powerful youths Nathaniel Chalobah and Ruben Loftus-Cheek
could be hoping for an opening. But Fabregas - who combined with Matic so
successfully in 2014-15 - seems the most likely option and adds to the
creative powers of a Chelsea team which have won their past three games 1-0.
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