Diego Costa makes his much-awaited return to the Chelsea lineup as the Blues welcome Queens Park Rangers to Stamford Bridge in the west London derby on Saturday.
Costa, who missed the last four matches in all competitions for the Blues due to a recurring hamstring issue, is available again after having trained this week, and is set to go back straight into the starting lineup, much to the relief of the fans.
The Spain international has been in stellar form, scoring nine goals from seven appearances in the Premier League, before being sidelined with the hamstring strain, and will be looking to get back among the goals against relegation-battlers QPR.
Costa and fellow summer signing Cesc Fabregas' good performances have seen Chelsea move to the top of the league table, with 23 points, six above third-placed Manchester City. However, Jose Mourinho's side did lose a little bit of momentum last week at Old Trafford, with a 94th minute strike from Robin van Persie taking two points off the Blues' tally.
QPR, on the other hand, are at the other end of the spectrum - 19th in the table, with just seven points from nine matches. Harry Redknapp's men have been struggling since the start of the season and have not managed to perform to their abilities so far, after spending well in the summer.
The Hoops did manage to stem a poor run of results last week though, with a 2-0 win at home over Aston Villa. However, they continue to struggle on the road, conceding 4-0 defeats to both Tottenham and United in the four away fixtures so far.
Team News
Chelsea: Cesar Azpilicueta (suspended), John Obi Mikel (foot) and Loic Remy (groin) will miss the match, while Ramires has returned from the treatment table, alongside Costa. Branislav Ivanovic is back after serving a one-game suspension for his dismissal at Old Trafford last week.
QPR: Rio Ferdinand (suspended), Alejandro Faurlin (knee), Joey Barton, Jordon Mutch and Nedum Onuoha (all hamstring) are all unavailable for Redknapp, while Alex McCarthy is also a major doubt. However, the manager could recall out-of-favour Adel Taarabt after the duo patched up.
Probable Lineups
Chelsea: Courtois; Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry, Luis; Matic, Fabregas; Willian, Oscar, Hazard; Costa
QPR: Green; Isla, Caulker, Dunne, Yun; Sandro, Henry; Vargas, Fer, Hoilett; Austin
Where to Watch Live
The game is set for an 8.30pm IST (3pm BST, 11am ET start with live coverage on Star Sports 4 in India. The match can also be watched via live streaming online in India on StarSports.com.
There will be no TV coverage in the UK but viewers can listen to the action live on BBC Radio 5 Live. Watch the action in the US on NBC Sports, while the game can also be live streamed online NBC Sports Live Extra.
Viewers in the Middle East and North Africa can watch the match on beIN Sports Arabia 1 HD and beIN Sports Arabia 11 HD, or via live streaming online courtesy beIN Sports Connect. South Africa and Sub Saharan Africa viewers can watch the match on SuperSport 3 Africa or SuperSport online.
