Chelsea vs Crystal Palace Prediction

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Chelsea vs Crystal Palace Prediction Match Overview

As part of this weekend’s Premier League predictions, following a brief interlude for the cup competitions we preview Chelsea’s second Premier League match in three days. Chelsea’s crisis is deepening, as they have lost their last three games. These consist of the 2-1 loss to Fulham on Thursday, plus two losses to Man City (including a 4-0 hammering in the FA Cup). They have numerous key players out injured, and their issues have gone from bad to worse. They have only won once in their last nine league games (against Bournemouth after the World Cup), picking up six points from those 27. They lie 16th in the form table across the last six games, with their only points being the Bournemouth win and a draw away at Nottingham Forest. This run also includes losses to Newcastle and Arsenal; they have only scored four goals in this six. They are sliding down the table, and new coach Graham Potter is under severe pressure.

Visitors Crystal Palace are in mixed form. Indeed, their results across the last eight games couldn’t be any more bipolar, having both won and lost four. There is no pattern to their results, which makes some sense considering they lie in 12th in mid-table. Palace have only scored seven goals and conceded 13 across this eight-game period. Therefore, they are narrowly winning games but did get hammered by Everton, Fulham, and in their previous league game against Tottenham. They are 10th in the away form table this season but have only won twice on their travels. Patrick Vieira has steadied the ship after Roy Hodgson, and with 22 points from 17 games, they are well on their way to safety. Given Chelsea’s struggles in recent weeks and their susceptibility to pace and the counter-attack, Palace will hope to inflict more misery in this London derby.

Chelsea vs Crystal Palace Team News

Injuries and Suspensions

Chelsea:

Might Not Play:

Will Not Play: Mendy, Fofana, Chilwell, James, Kante, Loftus-Cheek, Zakaria, Felix, Pulisic, Sterling, Broja

Crystal Palace:

Might Not Play: Ferguson

Will Not Play: McArthur

Possible Lineups

Chelsea (4-3-3): Arrizabalaga; Cucurella, Koulibaly, Silva, Azpilicueta; Jorginho, Kovacic, Gallagher; Mount, Havertz, Ziyech

Crystal Palace (4-2-3-1): Guaita; Mitchell, Guehi, Andersen, Clyne; Doucoure, Schlupp; Zaha, Eze, Olise; Edouard

Chelsea vs Crystal Palace Prediction Analysis

Chelsea’s Injury Woes and Problems Scoring

It’s clear that Chelsea are in bad shape at the moment due to disputes off the pitch in the Todd Boehly era and constant injuries on the park. Whether there is something wrong with the Blues’ treatment room is unclear, but numerous key players have been sidelined this season. It goes without saying that the loss of players such as James, Chilwell, Broja, and lately, Sterling and Pulisic would affect their attacking capability. They do still have the likes of Havertz, Mount and Aubameyang. However, they have been vastly underperforming. Ziyech is still to find his groove again after his return from Morocco’s wildly successful World Cup campaign. Either way, Chelsea scored four goals in their previous six games, two of which came against Bournemouth. This situation is unacceptable for a team which expects to contend for Champions League qualification every season.

Chelsea will likely go with a front three of Ziyech, Havertz, and Mount in this match. The Havertz as a false nine experiment is not working, but they have nobody else, given Broja’s injuries and Aubameyang’s problems. Mount will likely play as more of a false winger, as he is happiest in the centre of the park. However, Sterling and Pulisic are not available, so they lack a natural player out wide on the left. Perhaps Gallagher and Mount will interchange. Either way, there is much expectation on Ziyech and Azpilicueta down the right to attack Mitchell and try to make things happen by working their way into the box against Palace’s defenders. Havertz could be better in the air, but his height might be a problem from crosses. Cucurella down the left also offers a threat. Regardless, this Chelsea team lacks goals, and it is difficult to see where chances can be finished even if they are created.

Palace’s Pace and Threat on the Counter-Attack

Palace are one of those teams who can be either brilliant or dreadful on any given day, and their results over the last eight games back up this assertion. However, they do have a lot of pace, trickery, and threat on the counter-attack. Zaha, Olise, and Eze are a dangerous three behind the forward. These three are all technically gifted and can dribble and open up teams with their pace and skill (especially Zaha). They can hit Chelsea on the break in this game. The pressure is seriously mounting on the home team, and they know they need a result. They will likely come out and try to break Palace down, but the game is tailor-made for Palace to sit in deep and attack with their front players. We see Palace finding joy in the spaces between the defensive and midfield lines and catching Chelsea cold when Chelsea overcommit. The question is, can Edouard (or Mateta or Ayew) take any chances which come their way? Perhaps the striker won’t have to, as the three behind him are a goal threat too. Regardless, Koulibaly has been in poor form at centre-back, and Silva is 38 now. He has been a world-class player but can’t hold the defence together alone. We see Palace getting chances here in transition.

Beat the Bookmaker Chelsea vs Crystal Palace Prediction

Chelsea’s form has been horrendous in recent weeks, and they look like a team seriously lacking confidence. Potter’s ideas are not working, and the injury list continues to grow. Things looked a little better with Felix’s heartening display against Fulham, but he later got sent off and, as a result, will miss this game and the two after it. This match could be a similar sucker punch for Chelsea as Brentford gave them last season at Stamford Bridge. Like Brentford, Palace are a physical team with much power and pace on the counter. We can see them absorbing pressure and transitioning well in their attacking phases of play. Of course, Chelsea could perform defiantly and make us eat our words. However, we have not seen anything to suggest they can dominate or win games in recent weeks. Palace are a solid Premier League team, and their style is kryptonite for Chelsea. Therefore, we are predicting what some might deem an upset in this match. However, given Chelsea’s performances recently, we think Palace can do it.

Chelsea 1-2 Crystal Palace

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