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Alan Pardew tasks Damien Delaney with stopping Chelsea's Diego Costa

Alan Pardew has given Damien Delaney the task of nullifying the threat posed by Diego Costa when Crystal Palace host Chelsea.

The Premier League leaders visit Pardew's team on Saturday hoping to equal a club-record run of 11 straight wins, when the in-form Costa is again expected to be key.

Since Antonio Conte's summer appointment as Chelsea manager, Costa has excelled with his workrate and in scoring 12 goals in 18 games, perhaps establishing himself as even more influential than Eden Hazard.

Delaney, meanwhile, has re-emerged as significant to Pardew's team having lost his first-team place to the £10 million James Tomkins earlier in the season.