Diego Costa, on target for Spain at the weekend, aims to help Chelsea avoid a repeat of the Blues’ setback at Selhurst Park in March at the weekend, when a John Terry own-goal ended a promising title challenge.

Crystal Palace, undergoing a resurgence under Neil Warnock, will harness the confidence gained by that springtime 1-0 win to attack Chelsea.

But the circumstances are very different.

In March, Palace were fighting for their lives. While Jose Mourinho is always careful to avoid complacency, Saturday's duel may lack that edge of desperation for the home team, and Chelsea should have the firepower to triumph.

It’s early days, but here’s a surprise nomination for the Blues’ player of the year for 2014-15.

While Costa and Cesc Fabregas are the stand-out newcomers, and Eden Hazard is enjoying a dazzling spell, my vote would already go to Branislav Ivanovic, whose role has subtly changed, and who has raised his game a couple of notches at a point in his career when many defenders plateau.

The 30-year-old captain of the Serbian national team has been man of the match on half a dozen occasions in the current campaign, notably during the ground-out 3-0 victory over Aston Villa last month.

He powers forward more than usual, but is never caught out by a counter-charge. His passing is better, his awareness and vision has sharpened and he actually seems to be enjoying his day-to-day football like never before.

What has caused this development? I’ve no idea, but I’ll make a point of asking The Frowning One at his next press conference, and will report back.

Jose’s carefully constructed sulky look masks a general contentment about the way his team is performing, with captain JT revealing that despite the manager’s love for the Champions League, the Premier League is Chelsea's top target for the season.

Selhurst Park should be another step on that journey.