Good afternoon! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for Sunday's early Premier League kickoff as Crystal Palace host Chelsea in the top flight's first London derby of 2016. These two sides have suffered contrasting fortunes so far this season, with Palace surpassing expectations and Chelsea way below them over the first half of the campaign. Let's start with a look at the team news...

CRYSTAL PALACE STARTING XI: Hennessey; Ward, Dann, Delaney, Souare; Lee, Jedinak, McArthur, Puncheon; Zaha; Campbell

CRYSTAL PALACE SUBS: McCarthy, Kelly, Ledley, Mutch, J Williams, Sako, Chamakh

CHELSEA STARTING XI: Courtois; Ivanovic, Zouma, Terry, Azpilicueta; Mikel, Fabregas; Willian, Oscar, Hazard; Diego Costa

CHELSEA SUBS: Begovic, Baba, Matic, Loftus-Cheek, Ramires, Traore, Pedro

What can we make of those two teams, then? Well, the most notable thing about the Palace side is the players who are missing for the hosts today. They are without arguably their two best performers this season in top-scorer Yohan Cabaye, who is suspended, and Yannick Bolasie, who is injured. The Eagles do still have tools that can hurt Chelsea, but with Wickham, Gayle and Sako all sidelined too, their attacking options have been severely depleted.

Frazier Campbell leads the line as a result, one of three changes made by Pardew to the side that was held to a goalless draw with Swansea last time out. He replaces Chamakh, who drops to the bench, but the same support should be around the front man as Wilfried Zaha and Jason Puncheon both start once again.

In midfield, Lee slots into the side, as expected, to replace the suspended Cabaye. He will partner Jedinak and McArthur in the middle of the park, and it could well be that those deeper-lying midfielders are called upon to shoulder much of the goalscoring mantle in the absence of Cabaye and Bolasie. All of Palace's strikers from this season - Bamford, Campbell, Chamakh, Gayle and Wickham - have not managed a single league goal from open play between them, so Palace need their midfielders to step up.

The final change comes at the heart of the defence as Damien Delaney returns to the starting XI having overcome an ankle injury. Hangeland drops out as a result, with Dann partnering Delaney at the heart of the defence and Ward and Souare either side. Hennessey, who has impressed between the sticks for the Eagles this season, continues in goal.

There is big news from the Chelsea camp too as Cesc Fabregas and Diego Costa both return to the side from illness and suspension respectively. Both players were among Chelsea's star performers last season but have been criticised and even booed by their own fans this term for their lack of contribution under Mourinho. Costa improved against Watford recently, though, scoring twice in the 2-2 draw only to miss the next game having picked up a fifth yellow card.

Costa's return, as expected, sees Hazard drop back into a more familiar wide role after he played as a false nine against Manchester United last time out. The Belgian has shown glimpses of his old self in recent weeks, but he is still a long way off last season's level. It is now 21 league games since he found the back of the net for Chelsea, since doing so against today's opponents to clinch the title for Chelsea in May. A lot has happened in the intervening months!

The Brazilian duo of Oscar and Willian partner Hazard in the trio behind the striker, with Pedro the man to drop to the bench, where he will be sat alongside Matic as Hiddink starts Mikel in the holding role alongside Fabregas. Mikel was a favourite of Hiddink during his first spell, and he has got plenty of game time under the Dutchman so far in the second stint too. Whether he continues to be above Matic in the pecking order remains to be seen, but he is preferred today.

There are no changes at the back as Cahill once again misses out with a minor ankle injury, leaving Zouma to partner Terry at the heart of the defence once again. Ivanovic, who was given the runaround at times by Martial at Old Trafford on Monday, maintains his place on the right, with Azpilicueta continued on the left too. There is also no place on the bench for Loic Remy, who is struggling with a calf injury at the moment.

Beyond Costa, then, Chelsea attacking options are a little limited, which can only be good news for a Palace side with a good defensive record so far this season. They have conceded only 16 goals in their 19 games so far this term, a tally only Spurs can better. Palace aren't exactly renowned for being a side built on a solid defence, certainly under Pardew, but they seem to have a good balance in their side at the moment which will only improve when key players return.

Full credit must go to Alan Pardew for that, with the former Newcastle United boss celebrating a year to the day in charge of Palace this afternoon. Having been subjected to constant abuse by his own fans when manager of the Magpies, he is now enjoying life in London having turned Palace from relegation candidates to European contenders during his 12 months in charge. He has picked up 19 wins and a highly impressive 62 points from his 37 league games as Palace boss so far.

Indeed, the improvement between himself and his predecessors, with the exception of Pulis, is plain to see. At the same stage of the last two seasons, Palace have been in the relegation mire, stuck on just 16 points. They now have just under double that tally and are real contenders for a top-six berth this season. Victory today would take them back up to fifth and just one points behind the top four, for a few hours at least.

They come into this match on a six-game unbeaten streak and with only one defeat in their last nine outings of 2015. However, that loss did come against Sunderland, which would have been particularly disappointing, while their final two matches of last year also produced results that Palace will regard as points dropped as they were held to back-to-back goalless draws by Swansea and Bournemouth, both of whom were in the bottom five.

The plus side of that is, of course, two consecutive clean sheets, and they have kept three in their last four games too to double their tally for the season. I have already mentioned their impressive defensive record this term, but that has improved even further in recent weeks - Palace have conceded just two goals in their last five games, and just one of those came from open play.

If there is an area to improve, it would be in attack, where Palace have scored just 23 goals, and at home, where they have amassed fewer points than they have on their travels, despite playing a game extra. Only four teams have lost more games in front of their own fans this season, which will be a particular concern as Palace still have seven of the 10 other teams currently in the top 11 of the table to play at Selhurst Park this season.

They have failed to score three times in their last five home games, but they have also kept three clean sheets in that time and only three teams in the entire division have conceded fewer goals in front of their own fans this season. Palace have lost only one of those last five at Selhurst Park and are unbeaten in three - their longest home league unbeaten streak since Pardew's first three home games in charge.

While Palace have only gone from strength to strength as the season has progressed, Chelsea have suffered a first half of the campaign that would have been beyond their worst nightmares. Trouble has accompanied the club on and off the field since the very first day of the season, and as a result they have put up the weakest defence of a Premier League title to date. Things do appear to be turning around under Hiddink, but it is surely already too late to salvage anything from their season.

Retaining the title was ruled out some weeks ago, with 22 points now separating them from leaders Arsenal and only 19 games remaining, while the top four is also a tough ask for the Blues. They currently sit 15 points behind fourth-placed Spurs, and that gap could grow today should Chelsea fail to win here and Tottenham gain all three points against Everton in the later kickoff.

Indeed, far from those lofty ambitions, Chelsea's immediate priority is to drag themselves away from the relegation zone. The mood may have lifted a little around Stamford Bridge, but consecutive draws have not done much to improve their league position and they remain only three points clear of the relegation zone down in 16th place. Only the bottom three of Newcastle, Sunderland and Aston Villa have lost more games than Chelsea this season.

The Blues are a full 26 points worse off than they were at this stage of the season last term, and their record against teams above them in the standings will not fill them with confidence heading into this match. They have amassed just six points from 33 available against teams in the top 11 of the table, with their only win against any team outside the bottom eight at the halfway stage of the season coming when they beat nine-man Arsenal.

They have only lost one of their last five games in all competitions, including, as mentioned earlier, their first three-game undefeated streak in the league this season, but they have also only won one of their last six in the Premier League, and that coming against struggling Sunderland. It really is not good enough considering the players that Chelsea have at their disposal, and Hiddink will be desperate to get that first win under his belt as soon as possible.

There have been many problems for Chelsea this season, but the biggest have come away from home. Only Aston Villa and Sunderland have accrued fewer points on the road this term, while only West Brom and Newcastle have scored fewer goals than Chelsea's 8 - just two of which have come in their last five away games. Their only league away win this season came way back in August, since when they have gone seven matches without victory - their longest run since 2000-01.

Chelsea have taken just three points from the 21 available on the road since the win over West Brom, but they will be hopeful of edging that tally up as the weeks go by under Hiddink. He has taken charge of 24 matches over two spells with Chelsea now, including 15 in the Premier League, and he has still lost only one. That did come away in a London derby, however, as Spurs ran out 1-0 winners in March 2009.

PREDICTION: We're 10 minutes from kickoff at Selhurst Park, which means that it is time for a prediction! This is a tough one to call, with Palace missing a number of key players and Chelsea showing signs of improvement in recent weeks but still with a dreadful record on the road. It could go either way, but I'm going down the middle for a 1-1 draw.

Chelsea have won nine and lost just two of their last 13 Premier League meetings with Palace, although both of those two defeats have come in the last four games between these two sides, including earlier this season. Palace are looking to do the double over Chelsea for the first time ever having spoiled Mourinho's 100th home league game in charge of the Blues in August, inflicting just his second home league defeat with a 2-1 victory.

Pardew seems to have something of a hoodoo over Chelsea too. He has won five of his last eight Premier League games against the Blues, while no other manager has won more than twice in that spell. The former Newcastle boss has also won on each of the last three occasions that he has been the home manager in a league game against Chelsea, all of which came during his time in charge of the Magpies.

Palace's 2-1 victory at Stamford Bridge earlier this season is the only Premier League derby in their last five that they haven't lost, which will be concerning considering that Chelsea have kept eight clean sheets in their last 11 London derbies in the top flight. They have, however, scored only seven goals in their last eight too, so we could be in for a low-scoring affair here.

Chelsea, of course, were famously beaten 5-3 by Tottenham in their first Premier League game of 2015, and they have actually lost the first game of a new year in two of the last three seasons. Palace, meanwhile, have never won their opening Premier League of the calendar year, drawing two and losing four.

KICKOFF: Chelsea get us underway on a miserable day in London as they look to turn their season around in the second half of their campaign.

As always, Selhurst Park is rocking at the moment as they look to get their side up for this one in the early stages. Chelsea have seen more of the ball in the opening few minutes, but Palace have been the more direct of the two sides.

Really painful one for Azpilicueta here as he slips just as Campbell is crossing the ball, and the Palace striker catches the full-back in the face with his follow-through. He should be fine to continue, but that would have hurt.

Almost a chance for Palace as Ward sends a brilliant dipping ball into the box that completely eludes Terry. Campbell is close to getting on the end of it, but Zouma gets there first to put it behind for a corner.

SHOT! Palace threaten again here as Hazard is harried and bustled off the ball inside the Chelsea half, Zaha picks it up and is given space to shoot from 20 yards, but he drills a low effort a yard or so wide.

It is Chelsea turn to threaten for the first time today now as Hazard dips inside from the left and gets a shot away, but his effort deflects wide of the target and the subsequent corner comes to nothing.

There is concern for Hazard here as he appeared to pick up an injury while going for goal just then. He limps around for a few moments, holding his inner groin, but he now seems to be moving freely again.

YELLOW CARD! The first card of the game goes the way of Delaney as he gives Costa a late kick from behind, just to let the striker know he is there. No complaints with that one.

Hazard doesn't look like he will be able to continue after all here. He is gesturing rather impatiently to the bench to be brought off having initially appeared to have recovered.

CHELSEA SUB: There is the change as Hazard trudges off with another injury to be replaced by Pedro.

Palace win a corner which is floated into the middle, and Delaney rises higher than everyone to win a relatively free header. He can't generate the power to go for goal himself, however, and in the end the ball bounces safely into the arms of Courtois.

Good defending from Palace here as two players throw themselves in the way of the ball to deny a Pedro effort from the edge of the box. Ward took a blow from his own player in doing so, which prompts the referee to stop play with Chelsea in a good position.

Mikel is a little fortunate to get away with more punishment here for a late tackle down the shin of McArthur. He was also lucky to escape a yellow a few moments ago too, so that is twice he has been spared by referee Kevin Friend.

Chelsea have not been able to get going in this match so far. Palace are playing with a good energy and look dangerous and direct than the visitors when going forward. Neither keeper has had anything to do yet so far, though.

Delaney wins another header from a set piece, this time Puncheon's free kick, but Mikel does enough to prevent it from being a dangerous header. It still loops up and Courtois has to keep his eye on it to stop it dropping underneath the bar.

Brilliant defending from Zouma, who initially looks to have been caught out by a quick free kick but uses his pace to get back and put in a perfect sliding challenge on Campbell inside the box.

CHANCE! The clearest chance of the match so far goes the way of the hosts as Puncheon sends a delicious early cross into the box. It evades Zaha and Azpilicueta before finding Campbell at the back post, but it is a difficult one for the striker and he can only skew a messy effort wide.

Kevin Friend has been lenient with a few challenges so far, and all have gone the way of Chelsea. It is good refereeing on the most part due to the conditions, but Mikel in particular is lucky not to have had his name taken already.

They haven't really threatening in the opening half an hour, but it is Chelsea who take the lead here. Fabregas slides a pass through for Costa, who finds himself in all sorts of space after Delaney had failed to cut it out. Costa approaches goal, but unselfishly cuts it back to Oscar, who is left with a simple finish.

Palace go in search of an immediate equaliser, but Lee gets what is presumably an attempted cross all wrong. He had space on the right side of the area, but clipped his cross/shot over the crossbar.

This scoreline is harsh on Palace, it must be said. They haven't exactly peppered Chelsea's goal with shots, but they have been the aggressors so far and, until that Oscar goal, looked the more likely to score.

Better from Chelsea as Fabregas plays the ball in to Pedro, who dummies it before spinning and looking for the return pass in the box from Costa. The striker duly obliges, but Ward has tracked the run and puts it behind for a corner.

CHANCE! Good chance for Chelsea to double their lead! Azpilicueta is left in far too much space down the left channel, and one ball clipped over the top finds the left-back. His first touch on the chest is perfect and his second isn't bad either as he drills a low strike towards goal. Hennessey gets down quickly to make a very smart save, though.

Palace will still feel that they are very much in this game, and the conditions mean that any player could fall foul to a costly slip at any point. However, the hosts are still to really test Courtois despite what has been an encouraging display on the whole.

Scrappy period of play in the middle of the park, with the ball bouncing around everywhere at the hosts chases everything while being willed on by the crowd. Mikel momentarily calms things down, but neither side has really been able to gain control of this match yet.

Good idea from Puncheon as he looks to turn Ivanovic with a ball inside the full-back for Zaha to chase. The Palace winger has pace to burn, but Ivanovic has enough of a head start to mop it up.

There will be a minimum of two minutes added time at the end of this first half.

Kevin Friend blows for half time at Selhurst Park, then, and it is Chelsea who lead the opening Premier League derby of 2016 at the halfway stage. It has been a rather scrappy game, largely due to the conditions, and it has been an even opening 45 minutes too. Chelsea have got the only goal so far, but Palace are still very much in the game.

The goal arrived just before the half-hour mark as Fabregas threaded a pass through to Costa, beating the sliding challenge of Delaney to sent the striker clean through down the right channel. Costa had a chance to go for goal himself from a tight angle, but instead chose to pull the ball back to Oscar, leaving the Brazilian with a simple finish into an unguarded net.

Chelsea began to control the game a little more after that goal and they could have doubled their advantage with 10 minutes remaining of the first half when Azpilicueta was sent through down the left. He chested the ball down well inside the box before drilling a low half-volley towards goal that drew a very smart stop from Hennessey.

Palace were actually on top before Chelsea took the lead, and their best chance fell to Campbell at the back post, although it was a difficult one for the striker. Puncheon's cross was a peach of a delivery, right between the defence and the keeper, but it bounced up awkwardly for Campbell and he could only skew his effort wide of the near post.

Chelsea suffered a blow in the first half when Eden Hazard was forced off through injury after just 16 minutes. The Belgian sustained the problem when going for goal from around 20 yards, only to see his effort blocked, and it was clear that he had tweaked something while shooting. He initially looked to have recovered, but then asked to be withdrawn a few minutes later.

KICKOFF: Here we go then! Crystal Palace get us back underway for the start of the second half as they look to turn things around and move up to fifth in the table.

Positive start to the half from Palace as they look to get on the front foot early. Campbell feeds the ball out wide to the left for Souare, but the left-back gets his cross all wrong, sending it straight out of play.

Willian has been quiet so far today but he combines well down the right here before working a yard for himself a fizzing a cross towards the near post that McArthur does well to get back and put behind for a corner.

CHANCE! Big chance for Chelsea to double their advantage as Willian swings a beauty of a free kick to the back post, taking the keeper out of the game. Zouma climbs highest to meet it, but he can't direct his header on target.

Palace, and particularly Delaney, have caused problems from set pieces today. Chelsea fail to deal with another one here as the ball drops to Delaney, but the box is too crowded for the defender to get a shot away.

Awkward one for Hennessey as the ball loops up and threatens to drop underneath the crossbar, but under pressure, he plucks it out of the sky.

YELLOW CARD! Jedinak becomes the second name in the book today, and despite the Palace fans' protests as they feel a few Chelsea players should also be in the book, it is the correct decision from Kevin Friend.

CHANCE! Big chance for Palace to level things up! Costa feels he should have a free kick as he is dispossessed inside his own half, and to be fair he is right. The referee allows play to continue, however, and Campbell finds Zaha in a yard of space on the left side of the area. He takes on touch, but his subsequent effort is tame and bobbles harmlessly into the arms of the keeper.

Stunning, stunning strike from Willian to double Chelsea's lead! Fabregas and Oscar are involved in the build-up, with the latter being tackled before he can do anything with the ball. It breaks loose for Willian, however, and he lashes an unstoppable first-time strike into the top corner from 25 yards.

Is there any way back for Palace now? They haven't played too badly today, but chances have been few and far between and it is hard to see them getting two back in the final half an hour here.

Good chance for Chelsea to break, with Pedro, Costa and Oscar all up in attack. Pedro takes too long over his cross, however, and when it does eventually arrive it is too long for Oscar.

Good battling from Zaha down the left as he wins the ball off Willian before attacking Ivanovic, who deals with the danger well.

It is certainly game over now! Chelsea get their third of the game, and Willian turns provider for this one with a little help from Hennessey. The Brazilian beat his man but sent a rather tame effort towards the bottom corner. Hennessey got down slowly, however, and only parried the ball straight to the feet of Costa, who was left with a simple finish.

CRYSTAL PALACE SUBS: Pardew makes a couple of changes in reaction to that goal as Joe Ledley and Marouane Chamakh replace Jedinak and Campbell.

This will be a huge morale boost for Chelsea. Palace had only conceded 16 goals in 19 games before this match, but the Blues have hit three past them already, with 20 minutes still to go.

This appears to be the clearest sign yet of a revival for Chelsea. They have been brighter and, crucially, look on course for a fairly comfortable victory over a high-flying team. This will only take them as high as 14th, but it is a start and certainly something they can build on.

Palace have just 15 minutes left to get salvage anything from this match. The points appear to be a foregone conclusion at this point, but Pardew will still want to see some fight from his side. They haven't been beaten like this too often during his year in charge.

There was still some belief amongst the Palace fans and players at 2-0, but the atmosphere, for once, is flat inside Selhurst Park and the team are reflecting that. They know this one is out of their reach and they appear to just be waiting for the final whistle now.

Penalty shout for the hosts as Zaha shows great pace to beat Azpilicueta on the outside, reaching the byline before cutting a cross back. It hits Terry and the fans call for a handball, but the referee correctly points only for a corner.

YELLOW CARD! Dann becomes the latest player in the book for a wild swipe at Costa. Again, there can be no complaints with that one.

CRYSTAL PALACE SUB: The Eagles make their third and final change as Jonny Williams comes on for his first Palace appearance in 16 months, replacing Lee.

Talk about pathetic fallacy. The incessant rain has finally stopped and the sun is peeking through the clouds at Selhurst Park now. A nice little summary of Chelsea's season, perhaps?

Chelsea are looking as though they don't want this game to end just yet - and that is not something that could have been said for many of their outings this season. They look as though they are enjoying their football again, knocking it about nicely and controlling things here.

Oscar threatens a second goal as he jinks his way into space on the edge of the box, eventually working a yard from which he can go for goal. His shot is blocked, however, and the second ball is hacked clear.

CHANCE! A late chance for a Chelsea fourth as Willian picks out an unmarked Costa at the back post. The striker looks to hit his volley first time, but skews his attempt wide of the target.

CHELSEA SUB: Change for the visitors here as Nemanja Matic replaces Oscar in the closing stages of this match.

There was an uncharacteristic lull after the third goal, but the Palace fans are back in full voice now as this match reaches its conclusion. They deserve great credit for their unwavering support of their team.

There will be three minutes of added time at the end of this match.

Kevin Friend brings an end to proceedings at Selhurst Park, then, and Chelsea are left celebrating what is surely their most impressive victory of the season so far. Goals from Oscar, Willian and Diego Costa have wrapped up a 3-0 triumph over the Eagles for just their second away league win of the campaign and Guus Hiddink's first victory in his second spell in charge.

That is all we have time for this evening! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for today's early kickoff as Chelsea start 2016 in winning fashion with a 3-0 victory over Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park. I will leave you with our match report, and be sure to stick around for reaction from both camps. From me, though, it is goodbye for now!