Crystal Palace v Chelsea
01 October 1500hrs
Football – England – Premier League
Pick Chelsea AH-0.25
Bookmaker bet365
Odds: 1.58 odds taken 1012 GMT, Friday 30th September
The Premier League action returns this weekend after the international break and Saturday afternoon brings us this upcoming London clash between Crystal Palace and Chelsea at Selhurst Park as Crystal Palace look to pull away from the early relegation places while Chelsea will be determined to lift themselves back into the top five of the Premier League table with all three points here.
Table of Contents
Crystal Palace Preview – Can Eagles pull away from lower reaches of table?
Six games into this new Premier League season and Crystal Palace find themselves in a disappointing 16th place in the top flight table having managed to register just one win so far in this season’s campaign, which came in the form of a 3-1 home win against Aston Villa, but losses to Arsenal and Manchester City have undone the hosts’ minimal success to date.
Crystal Palace were handed a 2-0 defeat at home by Arsenal on the opening day of the season although The Eagles have also picked up useful points in draws with Liverpool, Brentford and Newcastle United along the way as well, and these have helped keep the hosts’ heads above water so far.
However, the bigger picture shows Crystal Palace have managed to pick up just four wins out of their last 14 matches overall in the English top flight which underlines the difficulties the hosts have had in terms of securing league wins overall, but form and results on home soil at Selhurst Park have nevertheless been encouraging.
Palace have lost just once in their last nine home games which was the 2-0 loss to Arsenal but under manager, Patrick Vieira, The Eagles have been pretty steady and have made themselves a tough side to beat in their own backyard – but their head to head record against their upcoming visitors, Chelsea, is an extremely poor one.
Crystal Palace have lost each of the previous 10 meetings on the trot against The Blues and it looks like they’ll be facing another tough assignment on Saturday despite holding home advantage. Goalkeeper Jack Butland and midfielder James McArthur could return to the squad after suffering ankle and calf injuries respectively, but Nathan Ferguson and James Tomkins are expected to be sidelined again for this clash.
Chelsea Preview – Can Blues deliver Potter opening win of new tenure?
Chelsea parted ways with former coach, Thomas Tuchel, after the visitors had made an indifferent start to this new Premier League season which included defeats away from home at Leeds United and Southampton, along with losing 1-0 on the road at Dinamo Zagreb on match day 1 of the Champions League as well.
The Blues have since appointed former Brighton manager, Graham Potter, to take over the reigns at Stamford Bridge and it will be interesting to see how Potter fares in his first role at a really big club like Chelsea, and having to deal with all the strong characters and egos in the dressing room, but he at least steered his new club to their first point in his first match in charge in the group stage of the Champions League as Chelsea drew 1-1 at home with Salzburg.
Chelsea will make the relatively short trip to Selhurst Park this Saturday afternoon on the back of a 2-1 home win over another London outfit, West Ham, last time out before the international break and the visitors will be keen to post back to back wins against The Eagles as they look to lift themselves up into the top five pack, whilst also looking to avoid a third away defeat on the trot.
The visitors have slumped to defeats at Leeds and Southampton in recent times but the bigger picture does show that The Blues have lost just three out of their last 11 trips on their travels, while also picking up six wins in the process, so they stand a very good chance of walking away from Selhurst Park with something to show for their efforts.
In addition, Chelsea have won the last 10 meetings on the trot against The Eagles and the visitors are expected to perhaps reflect Potter’s calmer approach on the touchline than that of his predecessor!
Goalkeeper Edouard Mendy and midfielder Christian Pulisic are expected to return from injuries but defensive midfielder N’Golo Kante may not be risked straight away here after battling a thigh injury.
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Crystal Palace v Chelsea
Key Facts – Crystal Palace v Chelsea Tip
- Crystal Palace have lost just once in their last 9 home games
- Chelsea have lost just 3 out of their last 11 trips on their travels
- Chelsea have won the last 10 meetings on the trot against Crystal Palace
Chelsea have held the upper hand over their hosts in previous exchanges and given Crystal Palace’s tentative and unconvincing start to this new season, Potter’s arrival at Chelsea should give the visitors the necessary impetus to secure a result at Selhurst Park as The Blues home in on a top five spot by the end of the weekend.
The best betting odds for Crystal Palace v Chelsea
Crystal P to win: 4.33 at bet365
Draw: 3.60 at bet365
Chelsea to win: 1.83 at bet365
