Crystal Palace vs Chelsea Prediction: Palmer can fire Chelsea to victory

Chelsea suffered a shock loss to Ipswich Town in midweek as their title charge hit the rocks over the festive period. They now sit fourth in the league having failed to win their last three matches, and next up they travel across the capital to face Crystal Palace (15:00, Saturday). 

Oliver Glasner’s side sit 15th but got an important home win against bottom club Southampton last time out. Below you can find my Crystal Palace vs Chelsea predictions featuring team news and betting tips. 

Team News

Adam Wharton and Matheus Franca remain the only absentees for Crystal Palace, which gives Glasner a strong hand heading into this game. Rotation could be considered after the busy festive period but he should stick with his 3-4-2-1, with Jean-Phillipe Mateta leading the line ahead of Eberechi Eze and Ismaila Sarr. 

Trevoh Chalaboh scored in the back three against Southampton and will line up alongside Maxence Lacroix and Chris Richards. Cheick Doucoure and Eddie Nketiah look like they will have to settle for a place on the bench once again, as Glasner looks for back-to-back wins. 

After an incredibly positive start to the season, Enzo Maresca is looking to drag his side back to winning ways at Selhurst Park. Joao Felix, Alex Disasi, Christopher Nkunku and Filip Jorgensen all started in the 2-0 loss to Ipswich Town, and I believe all four could come out of the side here. 

Robert Sanchez, Malo Gusto, Jadon Sancho and Nicolas Jackson could all return, while Pedro Neto is also searching for a spot in this XI, potentially in place of Noni Madueke on the right. Wesley Fofana and Benoit Badiashile are both injured which means they don’t have too many options at centre-back, while Romeo Lavia is a doubt having missed the trip to Suffolk with a hamstring issue. 

Crystal Palace vs Chelsea Odds

Crystal Palace are 11/4 to win this game having only won two home games so far this term, while Chelsea are available at 9/10. That gives the away side an implied win probability of 52% and the Blues have won six of their 10 away matches so far. 

A draw is priced at 13/5, while over 2.5 goals is 4/7 having come in during 58% of Chelsea games this term. BTTS is 8/15 and Cole Palmer is the favourite to score first at 9/2, having scored 12 goals in 19 appearances.

Chelsea to win and BTTS @ 9/4

I will back the away side to get back to winning ways in this game for a number of reasons. First of all, I can’t see Maresca rotating as much as he did against Ipswich and I’d expect him to go back to the likes of Jackson up front, and Gusto at right-back. That should give them more balance and the individual quality of Palmer could make a difference against a team that has conceded 27 goals in 19 games so far. 

I’ll back BTTS based on the fact this game is at Selhurst Park and Palace have some serious strength up top. I like Mateta a lot, and while himself and Eze haven’t hit the heights they did last term, I think they can get at a Chelsea defence that is missing key figures through injury. I’ll plump for an entertaining away win in this one. 

Cole Palmer to score anytime @ 7/5

The main man. 12 goals and six assists in 19 appearances this season for the England international, who will hope to have a successful 2025 after a wonderful 2024. That was the year he emerged as a Premier League superstar and scored in the Euro 2024 final - and he remains Chelsea’s best player. 

It’s been quite the journey for Palmer and although he’s only scored two goals in his last six, I think he can get back on track with one or two here. Palace don’t fill me with confidence, and Palmer will be the best player on the pitch. It’s a decent price on him to find the net at anytime. 

Acca Flex: Place a pre-match 5+ leg Football accumulator and get a CASH bonus up to 100% if all of your selections win or your money back as CASH if one leg lets you down.

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