(Reuters) - Chelsea manager Antonio Conte said he retained faith in strikers Alvaro Morata and Olivier Giroud despite choosing to deploy Eden Hazard up front in last week's defeat against Manchester City in the Premier League. Conte waited until the 78th minute to introduce Giroud and brought on Morata with only one minute to play. Morata has struggled for form and fitness in the second half of the campaign, while Giroud has started only one Premier League match since moving to Stamford Bridge from Arsenal in January. "(Against Palace) for sure we have this option to play with Giroud or Morata as number nine. Chelsea have lost four of their last five Premier League games but Palace have not won in six games and have slipped back into the relegation zone.

Source: The Star March 09, 2018 15:56 UTC