Chelsea could be without two of their most important players for all/most of October (Picture: Getty)

No sooner have Chelsea got one Player of the Year back to full fitness, another has picked up an injury. The Blues have had to do without Eden Hazard for much of the new season as he has worked his way back from an ankle injury, now he is back – and, judging by his performance against Atletico Madrid, nearly back to his best – but two more key players are waylaid.

N’Golo Kante picked up a hamstring problem while on international duty with France that will likely see him miss all six of Chelsea’s games in October. Alvaro Morata, meanwhile, who dazzled when combining with Hazard in Madrid, limped out of the club’s last Premier League outing against Manchester City. Although there has been no official word, he is not expected to be available against Crystal Palace on Saturday.

Morata was taken off midway through the first half of Chelsea’s loss to Man City (Picture: Getty)

That leaves Antonio Conte deprived of two of his stand-out players of the season so far. Kante has maintained much the same standards as he is set in his first two, title-winning campaigns in England; only one player has made more tackles in the Premier League this term – ironically, that player is Wilfred Ndidi, Kante’s replacement at Leicester City.

Morata, meanwhile, has taken to English football like the proverbial duck to water. He has already bagged six goals, and two assists, netting at a better rate than the division’s top scorer, Romelu Lukaku. In fact, the Spaniard accounts for exactly half of all Chelsea’s league goals this season – only Leicester are more reliant on one single player’s goals.

Kante tweaked his hamstring while playing for France on Saturday night in Bulgaria (Picture: Getty)

Being deprived of two such key cogs is not something Conte is used to, with much of last season’s title success hinging on the settled side he was able to name each week. With Kante out, the midfield pretty much picks itself, but the attacking line presents a number of dilemmas. Moreover, Conte may decide to save some of his star men for Wednesday’s massive Champions League match against Roma.

Here’s how Chelsea could line up against Crystal Palace…

EDEN HAZARD LEADING THE LINE

One of the more interesting aspects of Chelsea’s loss to Man City was Conte’s response to Morata’s injury. Despite being at home, and despite losing his frontman, he brought on Willian in place of the Spaniard and pushed Hazard through the middle. It underlines both the lack of faith in Michy Batshuayi, and Conte’s belief that Hazard is a legitimate option as a sort of false nine.

Hazard racked up more minutes for Belgium during the international break (Picture: Getty)

He performed the role well when Diego Costa was out of the side last season, most notably in a 3-0 victory over Leicester. Conte trusts him, and the license he is provided to float around the pitch suits his tricky skillset. You suspect, when Chelsea face Roma, this will be Conte’s go-to option if Morata is still not fit.

But Crystal Palace – bottom of the league and without a goal to their name – probably do not require such caution. Similarly, with Kante sidelined, Cesc Fabregas can come into the midfield with the loss of solidity and tenacity from that switch not likely to be punished by the Eagles. Against Roma, Conte may dabble with putting David Luiz back in midfield as he did so well against Tottenham.

STRAIGHT SWAP FOR MICHY BATSHUAYI

Although he has had some huge moments for Chelsea in his short time at the club, scoring the goal that won them the Premier League title and netting the last-second winner against Atletico, Batshuayi still seems to lack Conte’s trust. The Italian demands so much from his frontman, they must be an out-ball, a hold-up man, a channel runner and a finisher. But the Belgian only ticks one box.

Nevertheless, bringing him in against Palace makes a lot of sense. It’s a straight swap that does not impact the rest of the XI, while Roy Hodgson’s side are missing their best attacking weapons and could not score even when they were on the pitch. They are the sort of fodder Batshuayi can be risked against – if Conte considers it that way. It would also allow Willian to start on the bench after his exerts for Brazil; he was the last player to return from international duty.

ROTATE FOR ROMA

On current form, Chelsea’s youth team could probably beat Palace. The south London club have been in wretched form this season and have already conceded 17 goals. The real test for Chelsea comes four days later in the first of two back-to-back Champions League ties against Roma. The Italian side are Chelsea’s closest rivals in Group C, having picked up four points, and have been in excellent form in Serie A, winning five of their first six games.

Most other managers would rest a handful of their first-team stars on Saturday, but Conte is rather limited in what he can do by how small his squad is. Antonio Rudiger, Andreas Christensen and Davide Zappacosta are the only real rotation options, unless he has been reading Charly Musonda’s late night Instagram posts and decides to give the youngster a run out against Palace.

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