Double injury boost for Chelsea ahead of Crystal Palace clash

Chelsea duo Eden Hazard and Thibaut Courtois have returned to first-team training ahead of this weekend's league outing against Crystal Palace.

Hazard played no part for Belgium during the international break after he was forced to withdraw due to a calf problem sustained in training prior to Chelsea's 2-1 win at Stoke City.

The attacker was initially expected to miss the key games against Palace and Manchester City, but it now appears that he is fit and kicking for Saturday's London derby.

Meanwhile, Courtois did play a part in Belgium's 1-1 draw against Greece in the World Cup qualifiers before he missed the friendly against Russia due to a minor hip problem.

The availability of the pair would be a huge boost for manager Antonio Conte, whose side are already 10 points clear at the top of the summit.

Crystal Palace have won their last three games on the trot conceding no goals in the process, but the Blues will be confident of a victory at Stamford Bridge, where they haven't lost since September.