GRAHAM POTTER must be thinking he's cursed at Chelsea as he tries to figure out a way to end their alarming slump when Crystal Palace come calling for another massive Premier League match.
A 2-1 defeat at Fulham on Thursday night made it four games without a win for the Blues but it was hard not to feel for their beleaguered boss as lady luck deserted him once more.
Potter looked to have pulled off a shrewd move by landing Joao Felix on loan from Atletico Madrid, only for the striker to pick up a red card on his debut at Craven Cottage just after Chelsea had deservedly levelled at 1-1.
I tipped Fulham to win at least one half and that bet landed as Potter's fragile defence was exposed once more. Despite playing some nice stuff in midfield the Blues failed to deliver in both boxes, something they need to remedy quickly.
Crystal Palace's form has also been worrying, with the Eagles losing four of their last five games in all competitions. They need to get out of that slump in this London derby, especially with a tough run of fixtures coming up.
Patrick Vieira's side impressed me last season but they haven't hit the same heights this term, with inconsistency their biggest problem. They crashed out of the FA Cup at home to Southampton last weekend and if this bad form continues they could find themselves dragged into the relegation dogfight.
The Eagles headed into the weekend seven points clear of the drop zone and should have enough firepower to secure their Premier League status. But they need to start getting more points on the board to ease the concerns of their fans.
How the bookies view it
Home advantage makes Chelsea the favourites at a best 7/10 with SBK. Crystal Palace are as big as 9/2 with William Hill while the draw pays 33/10 with Unibet.
Recent head to head
Chelsea have been a bogey team for Crystal Palace with the Blues winning the last 11 games between these sides. But it was tight when they faced off at Selhurst Park earlier this season, with Chelsea needing a last-gap goal from former Eagles star Conor Gallagher to seal a 2-1 victory.
Players to watch
With Felix now suspended, the onus for goals will fall on the shoulders of Kai Havertz once more. The German looks low on confidence but is still Chelsea's biggest goal threat and he's 12/5 with Bet365 for anytime scorer.
Odsonne Edouard scored against Chelsea earlier in the season and his FA Cup goal last weekend should see him get the nod up front here. The former Celtic striker has yet to dazzle for Palace but remains a talented player and is 15/4 at Bet365 for a sixth goal of the season.
Anything else catch the eye?
We should see goals in this one, with Crystal Palace conceding nine times in their last four games and Chelsea's last clean sheet coming back in October. Over 2.5 goals is evens at Bet365 while BTTS pays 21/20 with Unibet.
We only saw seven corners when these sides faced off earlier in the season and that makes under 10 corners worth a look here at evens with Bet365.
Thiago Silva will be a key man for the Blues defence and I like the 23/20 on offer at Unibet for the veteran Brazilian to commit over 0.5 fouls.
This English Premier League match between Chelsea and Crystal Palace will be played on Jan 15, 2023 and kick off at 14:00. Check below for our tipsters best Chelsea vs Crystal Palace prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
