Chelsea’s Pochettino hopes to build winning momentum at Palace

Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino hopes Wednesday’s FA Cup victory at Aston Villa will help them gain some winning momentum as they visit Crystal Palace in the Premier League on Monday.

The six-time champions are languishing 11th in the table and lost their last two league games against Liverpool and Wolverhampton Wanderers, but the 3-1 win at Villa in an FA Cup fourth round replay provided hope in a season full of struggles.

“Yes, I think before also we had some good performances and after we are not consistent enough,” Pochettino said. “Maybe it can be the starting point for us to be consistent and have more often this type of performance.

“This type of game (at Villa) I think shows our capacity, our talent, that we have a very good squad. We only need to put it all together,” he added.

Chelsea, who have several players out injured, are waiting for reports on defenders Benoit Badiashile and Levi Colwill to see if they are available for Monday, Pochettino said.

“Romeo Lavia is not training with the team, he will not be back before the League Cup final (against Liverpool on Feb. 25),” he said.

“Badiashile we need to asses, wait for the scan. Maybe Levi Colwill we need to wait until Sunday to see if it’s possible for him to be available. (Trevor) Chalobah is doing well, training with the team.”

“Little by little we are recovering players, players that need time to reach the level that we expect from them. I think the way we are training … we are showing that we are improving,” he added.

Chelsea have 31 points from 23 matches, seven points ahead of Roy Hodgson’s 14th-placed Crystal Palace.