Sarri plays down prospect of setting new Premier League record against Crystal Palace

Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri says he is not thinking about the possibility of setting a new record this weekend.

Avoiding defeat against Crystal Palace on Sunday would make it 11 games unbeaten under Sarri – a record for a new Premier League manager at the start of his first season.

“I don’t want to think about the record,” Sarri said at a media conference on Friday afternoon.

“We have to think only about the match. We have to think only about how to gain points. The record is only a consequence.”

Eden Hazard, who has been nursing a back problem, is expected to return to action in Sunday’s derby but looks likely to be a substitute.

Sarri explained: “Yesterday he had a large part in training and maybe he will not be ready to play 90 minutes at the moment because that was his first training in the last two weeks.

“Probably he will be able to play 40 or 45 minutes and for us that is important. But I want to speak to him first.”