Tag: Crystal Palace

Following a defeat and an awful display at Manchester City on Sunday, Chelsea should be worried about their meeting with Crystal Palace on Saturday. Not only did the Blues lose away to the Eagles earlier this season, but Palace have been tricky opposition for Chelsea in recent years. Having fallen even further off the pace in the top four race, the last thing Antonio Conte’s side need right now is to come up short against a side in the bottom three. Could Palace spring a surprise, or will the hosts return to form?

Chelsea have spectacularly blown a strong position in the Premier League to find themselves lying in fifth place in the table. They’re having a tough time keeping pace with Tottenham, while Manchester United and Liverpool are streets ahead of the reigning champions right now. Conte clearly sees a gulf between his side and the elite, given the conservative way he lined his side up for their weekend trip to the Etihad. Can the Italian turn things around with a more positive approach this week? At this point, three points should really be all that he’s focused on, because the Blues really need to get some form together.

Team News: Conte Needs Style Change Following City Slump

Of course, there’s no excuse for Chelsea being so reserved against any Premier League rival. Not only have we seen attacking sides get more joy against City, but the Blues’ squad should never be so pedestrian and sheepish. The Italian needs to make some sort of change for this clash, even just in the approach he takes. While going with the 3-4-3 formation once again wouldn’t be a huge problem, a tactical shake-up might be key given how the team have been playing of late. It might be a quick-fire way to wake this team out of their slumber.

Palace have some big injury concerns coming into this game, with Chelsea loanee Rueben Loftus-Cheek among their 10 unavailable players. Mamadou Sakho, Yohann Cabaye and Scott Dann are among their experienced names who miss out, which leaves Roy Hodgson with some selection issues. Their defence should be an issue, with four players missing going into a difficult trip for the relegation-battling side. Palace have been sticking with a 4-4-2 set-up lately, and they’re unlikely to change that approach.

Crystal Palace Form

Palace made the worst ever Premier League start, yet they still managed to bounce up in to mid-table by January when they beat Burnley. However, that was their last win. The Eagles are winless in six going in to this trip, and they have been sucked straight back in to trouble after those poor results. They’re now 18th in the table, and they’re heading for the Championship once again if they can’t arrest this slump.

The question now is did Hodgson actually make a difference, or did the change just spark them temporarily in to life. There’s little time for the Eagles to make another sacking, so they need to end their poor run. Putting an end to a run of two wins in 18 away trips would also be helpful for the Eagles’ survival hopes.

Chelsea v Crystal Palace Head to Head

Recent meetings between these two teams haven’t gone all that well for Chelsea. The Blues lost in a shock defeat in this fixture last season, while the Eagles won here in their first trip to the Bridge following Chelsea’s last title win. This has been a fixture which Antonio Conte hasn’t quite adapted to, and after the Palace display on Monday night you’d have to wonder if the visitors will pose a threat once again.

• Crystal Palace 2-1 Chelsea, Nov 2017
• Chelsea 1-2 Crystal Palace, Apr 2017
• Crystal Palace 0-1 Chelsea, Dec 2016
• Crystal Palace 0-3 Chelsea, Jan 2016
• Chelsea 1-2 Crystal Palace, Aug 2015

Betting Tips

• Both Teams to Score – 11/10 with Coral
• Alvaro Morata to score first – 29/10 with BetVictor

Despite Chelsea’s troubles, the Blues are priced up as 2/7 favourites with Betfred. Meanwhile, struggling Palace are out at 10/1 with Ladbrokes to pull off another win at Stamford Bridge, which might actually be a little too big given their head to head record against the champions. You can back the visitors to get a point at 22/5 with BetVictor. With Palace winning 2-1 in three of their last five meetings with Chelsea, Betfair are offering 30/1 for that to happen once again. However, we can’t see the Eagles doing that well given their results of late.

That being said, the visitors should still be able to get a goal at Stamford Bridge. This Chelsea defence hasn’t been up to scratch of late, while the Eagles have shown some decent attacking form. They hit their first goals of the season against Chelsea in that 2-1 win earlier this term, and they continued to excite going forward in Monday night’s meeting with Manchester United. Their two goals in that game continued their scoring form, as they’ve found the net in 13 of their last 15. Having scored in seven straight matches on the road, we’re backing them to fire past the Blues’ defence. Both teams to score here, which is available at odds 11/10 with Coral.

Chelsea have attacking threats of their own, and we think one of them will come roaring back to form this weekend. While Alvaro Morata has enjoyed a tough spell at Stamford Bridge at times, this seems like the perfect game for him. Palace have struggled defending out wide, which should allow opportunities for the wing-backs and attacking midfielders to get crosses in. Given that just three sides have conceded more headed goals than Palace this term, Morata should have a chance of making a difference here. We think he’ll get the nod up front in an attacking change from Conte, and as a result we’re backing Morata to score first at 29/10 with BetVictor.

Chelsea return from the international break to face the bottom side in the Premier League. The Blues may have come up short against the title favourites, but they’ll expect better when they take on the team tipped for relegation. After back-to-back hammerings by the Manchester clubs, it’s hard to see Palace having that much confidence to take into this game. Will this be another straightforward win for Antonio Conte and his side?

With ambitions of retaining the Premier League title, this isn’t really a game that Chelsea can slip up in. They may be facing a Palace side who are gradually improving under Roy Hodgson, but the Eagles are making the worst start to a season in the history of the top flight. Without a point so far, or even a goal, it’s hard to see how they can possibly match up to the champions. With the league campaign getting back underway, this seems like the perfect way for Conte’s men to get the ball rolling this month, ahead of some important matches.

Team News: Blues could rotate ahead of busy week

While Chelsea are only getting back in to domestic action, they head straight into a busy fixture list. They’ve got a much bigger task on their hands than last season, when the team really only had to focus on 38 games in the league. This time around, Conte needs to shuffle his pack for three games in seven days. A crucial Champions League clash with Roma is sandwiched between their next two league games. That should give us some idea as to which competition the manager is prioritising. The Blues welcome back David Luiz from suspension, but the South American contingent could be rested after their long journey back to Cobham in midweek.

Crystal Palace have some major injury concerns here, including the absence of key man Wilfred Zaha. They are also lacking in firepower up front, with Christian Benteke and Connor Wickham both out. The fact that they’re playing Chelsea makes life even more difficult for Palace, as that rules out arguably their most impressive player so far. Chelsea loanee Ruben Loftus-Cheek has done well as a number 10, but he can’t feature against his parent club. That just makes this task much tougher for Hodgson, who has little room for manoeuvre in attack.

Crystal Palace Form

The Eagles are in terrible form coming in to this game, on the back of seven straight defeats. They’re set for a drop to the Championship after their awful start to the new campaign, as they’ve left themselves with a gap to make up after struggling for so long at he start of the campaign. To make matters worse, as said, they haven’t even managed to score a goal yet.

Palace are fighting a losing battle to stay up already, given that they’ve made such a bad start to the new season. If you include the final game of last term, they’ve now lost eight straight league matches without scoring a goal. That run has come under three managers, which makes it even more worrying. Will that form suddenly change when the Eagles host the reigning champions on Saturday? It seems unlikely to say the least.

Crystal Palace v Chelsea Head to Head

That said, Palace have previous when it comes to causing a shock against Chelsea of late. We saw that last season, as they were one of just two sides to avoid defeat at Stamford Bridge. It’s hard to think of a team who played better against Chelsea at the Bridge last term, with Palace leading early and looking dangerous throughout. However, the nature of the Palace hot seat means that they’ve made two managerial appointments since that last meeting.

• Chelsea 1-2 Crystal Palace, Apr 2017
• Crystal Palace 0-1 Chelsea, Dec 2016
• Crystal Palace 0-3 Chelsea, Jan 2016
• Chelsea 1-2 Crystal Palace, Aug 2015
• Chelsea 1-0 Crystal Palace, May 2015

Betting Tips

• Chelsea -1 handicap – 15/13 with Ladbrokes
• Chelsea to win to nil – 23/20 with BetVictor

Chelsea come in to this game priced at 4/11 with Betfred to take the points, which shows just how much Palace are struggling. The hosts are priced at 8/1 with Bet365 to claim a win, while the draw is available at 19/5 with BetVictor. Given how poorly Palace are playing, you have to say that Chelsea don’t look that short for the points in this one. There’s a huge gulf between them at the moment, and that isn’t really reflected in the prices. However, we think there are much better value bets for this weekend’s clash than backing the straightforward Chelsea win.

Not only are Palace being beaten, but they’re being blown away by most sides they come up against. A 9-0 aggregate defeat in their trips to Manchester shows how poor they’ve been against the best in the league, while losses to Swansea, Burnley and Southampton of late have seen them cut adrift. The Eagles aren’t matching up to the sides around them, so how on earth do they expect to compete with the top sides in the league? Facing Chelsea is likely to be beyond them on current form, so we’re backing a comfortable away win. Chelsea with a -1 handicap is our tip here, at 15/13 with Ladbrokes.

We’re also going for an away win to nil, which is priced at 23/20 with BetVictor. Given that Palace are yet to score a league goal this season, we think that represents serious value. The Eagles are looking really short up front in terms of personnel, but their poor scoring run started with the big names in the team. They’re clearly not creating enough chances, and there’s also a lack of quality up front to score when they do. We think it’s worth backing the Blues to keep a clean sheet in this trip, meaning a ninth straight blank for Palace.

Chelsea return to action following the international break and they’ll be eager to get another win under their belt as they seek to win the title as soon as possible. The Premier League leaders take on Crystal Palace at Stamford Bridge, with the Eagles just hitting form.

While the Blues have been lucky to avoid injuries all season, they are going to have to deal with a number of players returning from all corners of the globe with varying levels of fatigue. Can Antonio Conte deal with that, and lead his men to another crucial league victory? They’ll be hoping to extend their 10 point lead at the summit of the table.

Palace have seen their results pick up under Sam Allardyce, which makes this a tricky game for Conte and co. On the bright side, they do have a 13 game winning run at their own ground to back them up. That’s a run of victories which has taken them top of the table and into an FA Cup semi-final. With the sides below them facing some tough matches this weekend, this is a must win clash for Chelsea. Can they claim some revenge for their loss to the Eagles in their last visit to this ground?

Team News: Conte faces selection worries after international break

Eden Hazard is Chelsea’s only absentee at the minute, as the winger missed the international break through injury. He was unable to meet up with the Belgium squad, facing a couple of weeks on the side-lines. That was after Hazard missed the Blues’ last match against Stoke. In addition to the Belgian, Conte is going to have concerns over a couple of his international stars. Diego Costa and Pedro were both away with Spain, while Willian linked up with Brazil. Keeping a stable team has been key to Conte’s side this term, but they may have a few stars coming in to this game struggling for fitness.

Palace are without a few players ahead of this trip to Stamford Bridge. Loic Remy, on loan at Selhurst Park from Chelsea, is unavailable for this clash. Mathieu Flamini, Connor Wickham and Pape Souare are all set to miss out. The Eagles set up with a 4-2-3-1 against Watford last time out. Despite winning that clash, Palace were dominated in possession. They can expect a similar sort of game away to the best side in the division, so that formation might just cause problems this weekend.

Crystal Palace Form

Crystal Palace have moved out of the bottom three after a strong run of form. They’ve won three straight games under Sam Allardyce, moving them up to 16th in the table. The Eagles are now four points clear of the drop, with the former England boss set to complete another remarkable turnaround. They claimed back to back home wins over Middlesbrough and Watford, two sides who were in awful form coming in to clashes with the Eagles. Those were two straightforward games, although they did claim three points away to West Brom in their last trip.

That win was impressive for Palace, and it showed signs of much needed improvement from Allardyce’s team. However, travelling to Stamford Bridge is a huge step up for them to face. Wins against struggling, out of form sides isn’t going to prep them for a clash with top of the table Chelsea. Having won just two of their last 11 trips, including losing at Arsenal and Tottenham, Palace can’t hold out much hope for a result on Saturday.

Chelsea v Crystal Palace Head to Head

The Blues have a solid record against Palace, barring their home defeat in 2015. That was part of their awful title defence, which allowed plenty of sides to pull off a result at Stamford Bridge. The meeting between these two earlier this season was a real battle, with a goal from Diego Costa settling things. That clash came during the Alan Pardew reign at Selhurst Park, which ended very poorly for the Eagles. They’ve seen an improvement under Allardyce, but can that lead to another shock win?

• Crystal Palace 0-1 Chelsea, 17th Dec 2016
• Crystal Palace 0-3 Chelsea, 3rd Jan 2016
• Chelsea 1-2 Crystal Palace, 29th Aug 2015
• Chelsea 1-0 Crystal Palace, 3rd May 2015
• Crystal Palace 1-2 Chelsea, 18th October 2014

Betting Tips

• Willian to score any time – 7/4 with BetVictor
• Chelsea to win and both teams to score – 12/5 with Coral

Chelsea come into this game as the 3/10 favourites with Betfred, so clearly the bookies aren’t predicting another win for the visitors at Stamford Bridge. The visitors are 10/1 with Ladbrokes to repeat their win here from 2015, while a draw is priced at 4/1 with Bet365. We aren’t going to back the leaders on the win market, we’re looking elsewhere for value on this clash.

While the Blues have concerns over Eden Hazard’s fitness, their trip to Stoke proved that they can survive without the Belgian. That 2-1 win at the Bet365 saw Willian score from a free kick, something which hasn’t been as common this term. The Brazilian lost his place in the team earlier in the campaign, but with Hazard missing he should get a rare start at the Bridge. Having found the net last time out, we think it’s worth backing Willian to chip in with another goal. The winger is priced at 7/4 with BetVictor to score any time this weekend.

Given the results Palace have been picking up of late, they should be confident ahead of this trip. The Eagles will be hoping to take advantage of the Blues’ poor defensive record, which has seen them concede in their last six league outings. That poor run hasn’t cost them points, as Conte’s men have enough quality to fight back after conceding. The leaders score close to three goals per game at Stamford Bridge, so we’re backing a home win and both teams to score at 12/5 with Coral.

Can Chelsea continue their title push when they travel to Selhurst Park on Saturday afternoon? The Blues are in action early this weekend, as they make the trip across London for a 12:30 kick off. Will they be able to continue an excellent run of form and keep up their push for the biggest prize available to them this season? They need to be careful, as this Palace side are desperate for points.

The Eagles are hanging around the drop zone, with boss Alan Pardew under pressure going into a busy Christmas period. Surely this is the last game that the Palace boss would want when his job is in jeopardy. Will the former Newcastle supremo be able to pick up some crucial points, or will Antonio Conte’s men continue their roaring form?

Team News: Expect changes in rare return to midweek action

Chelsea aren’t expected to have too many absentees for this weekend’s game, they are likely to miss Kurt Zouma and Marco van Ginkel once again. Both are out due to a lack of match fitness, having been injured earlier in the season. They’re both suffering from a lack of fixtures for the Blues, which restricts who gets minutes on the pitch. Making that even harder is the great form the team are in at the moment, which has seen just 13 players start in the last nine matches. How will that affect them here?

Surely there are going to be changes, having played three games in the space of a week. That’s nothing new for the club, but it isn’t something they’ve done that often this season. The Sunderland trip was just their fourth midweek clash of the campaign. We can’t see Conte sticking with the same side throughout the week, so expect a couple of changes for this clash.

Crystal Palace are without Pape Souare and Connor Wickham, who are both set to miss the rest of this season. They’re also without Loic Remy, who is on loan from Chelsea. He’s also struggling with injury, which has prevented him from playing for his new club this season. They’re likely to rely on Christian Benteke up front, but he’ll have a tough time finding space against the three centre-halves. He did manage to get a goal for Liverpool against the Blues towards the end of last season though and is a threat on his day.

Crystal Palace Form

A year ago, Palace were in excellent form, with absolutely no relegation fears whatsoever. They were pushing for a place in Europe, and they ended up in the top six. After that the Eagles dropped like a stone, and things haven’t really looked up for them since. They may have taken a 3-0 win over Southampton at home recently, but Pardew still found a way to ruin that for himself. Having accused the club’s new American investors of not knowing the game, he seems like a man sleepwalking towards the sack after those ill thought out remarks.

Last weekend saw Palace draw 3-3 with a very poor Hull side, which showed their defensive woes. That came shortly after a 5-4 loss at Swansea. Clearly this is a defence which Diego Costa and Eden Hazard could have fun against. They’ve looked every bit like a struggling side in recent weeks, and now they’re facing a hugely creative attack from one of the top sides in the league. Expect Pardew to be worrying quite a bit ahead of this clash.

Chelsea v Crystal Palace Head to Head

Chelsea opened up 2016 with a victory over Crystal Palace, can they pick up another win here towards the end of the year? Palace were one of the first sides to take advantage of the Blues’ awful season last time around, winning 2-1 at Stamford Bridge. However, the last two meetings here went in Chelsea’s favour, including a 2-1 win on their way to the 2015 title. Can they pick up another victory here to continue the push for top spot this season?

• Crystal Palace 0-3 Chelsea, Jan 2016
• Chelsea 1-2 Crystal Palace, Aug 2015
• Chelsea 1-0 Crystal Palace, May 2015
• Crystal Palace 1-2 Chelsea, Oct 2014
• Crystal Palace 1-0 Chelsea, Mar 2014

Betting Tips

• Both teams to score – 10/11 with Bet365
• Over 2.5 Chelsea goals – 7/4 with Coral

Chelsea come into this game as 8/15 favourites with Betfred, while Palace are 6/1 outsiders with BetVictor. The Blues deserve to be favourites, they should manage to make short work of the Eagles, but how will they handle the hosts’ attack? Can their strong defensive record continue in this trip? It’s easy to see Pardew’s side making things difficult at the back. They have some tricky wingers, which is a new test for the two wing-backs.

Since playing Chelsea here, Palace have failed to score just twice in 15 league matches at Selhurst Park. The Blues are facing a tough week with three league fixtures, so it’s easy to see them being a little slow to react at the back. However, Pardew’s side have only kept three clean sheets in those 15, so a Chelsea goal seems inevitable. We’re backing both of these sides to find the back of the net, which is generously priced at 10/11 with Bet365.

A Chelsea goal here isn’t likely going to be a surprise, seeing as Palace have been struggling to keep goals out for a while now. They’ve conceded three or more in five of their last seven matches. That includes five against struggling Swansea, three at Burnley and four at home to Liverpool. This defence is clearly wide open, and the Blues have the players who can take advantage. We can see a big win for the visitors this weekend. That’s why we’re backing the Blues to hit over 2.5 goals in this trip, which is 7/4 with Coral.