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Chelsea vs Crystal Palace
Time – India: 17:00 PM; UK: 12:30 PM (Saturday)
Venue – Stamford Bridge
Referee – Chris Kavanagh
Chelsea are coming into the game under some pressure following a couple of poor results. A 3-3 draw at West Brom last weekend and getting knocked out of the League Cup in midweek mean, Chelsea will be desperate to get a win at home.
Frank Lampard’s team are also without a win in the league since the first day of the season and another slip-up against Crystal Palace could heap pressure on the Chelsea boss, especially after a summer of heavy spending.
Palace beat Manchester United at Old Trafford last month but they did lose at home against Everton last weekend. The Eagles will be looking to pull off another shock result away from home when they travel to west London on Saturday afternoon.
Chelsea vs Crystal Palace: Head-to-Head
Total matches (all competitions): 56
Chelsea wins: 29
Manchester United wins: 12
Draws: 15
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Chelsea and Crystal Palace met for the first time in 1906 in an FA Cup clash that the Eagles won 7-1. But Chelsea’s overall record over Palace is dominant with 29 wins in 56 games between the two sides.
The west London club’s recent record against the Eagles is also brilliant with five wins in their last five meetings in the Premier League.
Since beating Chelsea in 2019, Crystal Palace have not got a sniff in this fixture and they will be eager to set the record straight on Saturday.
Chelsea vs Crystal Palace: Recent form
Chelsea: L-D-W-L-W (in all competitions)
Crystal Palace: L-W-L-W-D (in all competitions)
Chelsea are in need of a positive result coming into the game as they have just one win in their last four in all competitions and are without a win in the league since the first day of the season.
Crystal Palace’s highlight of the season was the victory at Manchester United but a defeat at home against Everton last weekend brought them straight back to the ground. They are looking at another big scalp in Chelsea on Saturday.
Chelsea vs Crystal Palace: Team news
Chelsea
Chelsea’s new signing Hakim Ziyech has continued to be on the sidelines since suffering a knee problem during pre-season. Frank Lampard is unlikely to take any chance with the Algerian and he is likely to make his debut only after the international break.
Christian Pulisic is also out injured since suffering a hamstring problem in the FA Cup final and is still not fit to get into the team. He is also likely to return after the international break.
Billy Gilmour is also recuperating from a knee injury and is unlikely to be in the frame for selection any time soon.
Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace have a number of players missing due to injuries. Centre-backs James Tomkins and Gary Cahill are yet to get back to full fitness.
Connor Wickham, Nathan Ferguson, Patrick Van Aanholt and Cenk Tosun are also out injured for the moment.
Chelsea vs Crystal Palace: Probable XI
Chelsea: Mendy, James, Silva, Christensen, Alonso, Kante, Kovacic, Mount, Havertz, Werner, Abraham.
Crystal Palace: Ward, Kouyate, Sakho, Mitchell, Townsend, McArthur, McCarthy, Schlupp, Ayew, Zaha.
Chelsea vs Crystal Palace: Where to watch
India: Star Sports 2, Star Sports Select HD 2
UK: BT Sport 1
Stream in India: Disney+ Hotstar
Stream in UK: BT Sport App
Chelsea vs Crystal Palace: Prediction
Crystal Palace have the forwards to worry Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, particularly after West Brom rattled the Blues’ defence last weekend. Roy Hodgson’s men have also shown defensive resilience this season and they are potential banana skin for Frank Lampard’s side.
But Chelsea have the attacking talent to overwhelm Palace at home but they will need their defence to be more solid and assured. The Eagles are good at protecting a lead and the Blues cannot afford any lapses at the back early in the game.
At Stamford Bridge, Chelsea must start as favourites but an early Palace goal could change things.
Chelsea vs Crystal Palace predicted scoreline: 3-1
Also Read: Why Manchester United shouldn’t sign Ousmane Dembele
