Chelsea welcome Crystal Palace to Stamford Bridge for a midweek Premier League fixture with both teams looking to snap out of difficult spells. Neither side has been at their best lately and given Palace’s penchant for draws, a closely fought encounter could be expected on Wednesday.
Chelsea head into Wednesday’s clash off the back of a 2-1 defeat to Wolverhampton Wanderers last time out in the Premier League. They attempted a late fightback after going two goals down but could only pull one back in added time through Christopher Nkunku.
The result continues Chelsea’s struggles this season as they have picked up just two wins from their last seven Premier League matches. Mauricio Pochettino’s men remain 10th on the table and could be usurped by the likes of Bournemouth and Wolves if results do not go their way this week.
While Chelsea continue to struggle, they have managed to win their last two home matches. Those two results ended a run of five matches without a win at Stamford Bridge and they will be looking to build on that on Wednesday.
Crystal Palace are coming off a 1-1 draw with Brighton & Hove Albion in their previous Premier League fixture. They struck on the stroke of halftime through Jordan Ayew and held on for long periods before conceding the equaliser eight minutes from time.
That was the third draw in five Premier League matches for Crystal Palace, who have been plagued with too many stalemates in recent weeks. However, those draws will need to become wins as Roy Hodgson’s men have been slipping down the table and are now just six points above the bottom three.
The strange thing about Crystal Palace is that they have fared better away from home this season having won at Sheffield United, Manchester United and Burnley. However, the draws are starting to kick in on their recent travels as they played out a 2-2 draw with Manchester City in their previous away fixture.
How the bookies view it
Chelsea have the upper hand among the bookies and are priced at 7/10 by 10bet to claim the win. A victory for Crystal Palace is valued at 4/1 by BetVictor while bet365 is offering odds of 3/1 for a draw.
Recent head to head
Chelsea have dominated this fixture in recent times, winning the last 12 matches against Crystal Palace. The Blues claimed a 1-0 victory in the last meeting at Stamford Bridge back in January.
Players to watch
Christopher Nkunku has been slowly returning to full fitness and could be given a start on Wednesday. Having found the net last time out at Wolves, the forward could be worth keeping an eye on at 21/19 with William Hill.
Jean-Philippe Mateta has been the man in form for Crystal in recent weeks, scoring in two of the last three matches. The striker will be the one to watch for the Eagles and is priced at 4/1 by bet365 to get on the score sheet on Wednesday.
Anything else catch the eye?
There were over 3.5 goals in Crystal Palace’s previous away fixture and a repeat could be on the cards at 12/5 with bet365. Over 2.5 goals could also be considered at 5/6 with BoyleSports while bet365 is offering odds of 10/11 on both teams to score.
Chelsea and Crystal Palace have been level at the break in their last four meetings, so a halftime draw could be considered at 13/10 with Unibet. The second half has produced the most goals in three of the last four meetings and a similar pattern is priced at 11/10 with Paddy Power.
This English Premier League match between Chelsea and Crystal Palace will be played on Dec 27, 2023 and kick off at 19:30. 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.
