After two and a half weeks without a game, Chelsea will play in the Premier League this weekend when they travel to Selhurst Park to take on Crystal Palace.
This weekend sees Chelsea return. Finally!
We haven't seen the Blues play in what seems like a very long time. Chelsea's most recent competitive game came at Stamford Bridge against Red Bull Salzburg. Yes, that is accurate.
Graham Potter's tenure in the Stamford Bridge dugout has gotten off to a very peculiar start. Strange because it's been so uneventful.
In the Premier League, Chelsea has had two games put off due to the Queen's passing: a home match against Liverpool and a trip to Fulham. But with nine games for Chelsea in all competitions in October, Potter is now in for a very hectic month.
Potter's first Premier League encounter comes at Crystal Palace, and football.london offers its advice on what the new Blues head coach should do to prepare for the pivotal game.
Return of Fofana
Wesley Fofana, who cost an astounding £70 million (with add-ons later) to acquire, did not play in Potter's first game as head coach. On the right side of the defensive three, the Frenchman must now reenter the lineup.
Given his current performance, Cesar Azpilicueta deserves to spend some time on the bench. The 33-year-old defender has done an outstanding job for Chelsea over the years, but recent years have revealed symptoms of his skills eroding.
On paper, the best defensive trio for Chelsea appears to be the back-three of Fofana, Thiago Silva (in the centre), and Kalidou Koulibaly (on the left).
Havertz shifting positions
Kai Havertz scoring twice for Chelsea on Monday night would have delighted foreign-born Chelsea supporters. The 23-year-old scored two goals, the second of which came after Nick Pope made a mistake and was an excellent goal from outside the penalty area.
Havertz was Germany's lone central striker when the game began, but Hansi Flick decided to move him deeper in the second half. Flick made a wise choice because Havertz appeared to be playing twice as well in the second period.
The former Bayer Leverkusen player has recently been playing as Chelsea's center forward. In Potter's lone game as manager, he did so by pairing with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in a 3-5-2 formation.
A position move may be imminent given that he appears to be excelling in a deeper role - consider the opening 20 minutes of Chelsea's recent defeat to Dinamo Zagreb. Given that Aubameyang is backed by players like Havertz and Mason Mount, it's probably worth a shot.
In the middle
It is a huge boost for Potter going into the weekend that N'Golo Kante returned to training on Tuesday. Due to a hamstring injury he sustained against Tottenham earlier in the season, the France international missed his nation's Nations League matches.
Potter will be well aware of Kante's previous injury issues, so the Chelsea head coach might be hesitant to push the midfielder back into competitive action on Saturday if it turns out to be too soon for him. If not, Potter should start Mateo Kovacic and Jorginho in the middle of the field.
Raheem Sterling impressed against Salzburg earlier this month while playing left wing-back, so he might do so once more. Naturally, Reece James will play as the right wingback.
Since Conor Gallagher hasn't played well this year, Potter may decide to omit the England U21 international from the starting lineup. Due to the 26-year-close old's relationship with Potter throughout the past two weeks when other players have been away on international duty, Ruben Loftus-Cheek may have a chance to play in midfield.
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