Chelsea are unsure when John Terry will return from injury.
The Blues skipper, who turned 36 last week, has been nursing a gluteal muscle problem for several weeks.
He had earlier been sidelined by an ankle problem, which – along with the form and fitness of the first-choice back three – has restricted him to just six minutes of Premier League action in the last three months.
Blues boss Antonio Conte admitted: “I don’t know the right time for him to recover from his injury.
“John, after his first injury, recovered very well. If you remember, he played the last few minutes against Everton and then he had another injury. Now he’s trying to recover from that.
“John is always very close to the team. He comes with us when we go to play away.
“He’s a really important player for Chelsea, for me, for his team-mates.”
Meanwhile, Eden Hazard has been passed ft for Saturday’s game at Crystal Palace.
The Belgian missed the midweek win at Sunderland with a knee problem but trained on Friday and is available for Sunday’s derby at Selhurst Park.
This post was last modified on 16/12/2016