Chelsea will take on London rivals Crystal Palace at Stamford Bridge as Enzo Maresca looks to get his first home win in the Premier League.
As the dust settles on yet another chaotic summer transfer window at Chelsea, the club can now solely focus on their efforts to stabilise their season and look forward to bigger things, starting with the game against Crystal Palace. Enzo Maresca’s reign did not get off to the best of starts with the opening day loss to Manchester City.
Last weekend, away at Wolves, they did look very unstable in the first half. But a second-half Noni Madueke hat-trick and a hat-trick of assists for Cole Palmer showcased the attacking prowess they pack within the squad. The Blues hit the Midlands side for six goals and emphatically took three points.
Maresca will hope for a similar result or three points at the very least as Chelsea return to home comforts and will look for their first win at Stamford Bridge this season in the Premier League when they host Crystal Palace. The worrying aspect is their unstable form overall, which saw them qualify for the Conference League group stages despite a second-leg defeat to Swiss side Servette, as they went through on aggregate.
Meanwhile, visitors, Crystal Palace, have come under some level of pressure following a stuttering start to their Premier League campaign. Having finished the previous season on a high note under new boss Oliver Glasner, the Eagles have suffered defeats in either of their opening two games.
They opened the season with an away loss to London rivals Brentford and followed that up with a home defeat to West Ham United. The latter proved a rather cagey game, but two quick goals from the Hammers midway through the second half proved enough to seal the three points.
Glasner did get his first win of the domestic season with a 4-0 mauling of Norwich City in the EFL Cup second round, which will get his players going. With some decent players coming in through the end of the transfer window, Crystal Palace can look forward to having a season where they have a squad that can trouble the top seven.
Team News & Tactics
Chelsea
On the outside, Chelsea had a chaotic transfer window, and there were further incomings and departures at Stamford Bridge on deadline day. The significant addition was Jadon Sancho from Manchester United, although the winger may not be a part of the matchday squad as the club could not have registered him in time for the weekend’s action.
Enzo Maresca is probably not about to make wholesale changes from the side that put six goals past Wolves. On paper, Mykhailo Mudryk could be shifted out of the starting eleven following further criticisms from the manager about his performance. Pedro Neto could be set for his first Premier League start for Chelsea.
With Chelsea failing to sign Victor Osimhen on deadline day, it puts the focus on Nicolas Jackson to shine and show the club bosses they may not need a new centre-forward at least for the time being. In terms of injuries, the manager could assess Romeo Lavia’s situation, although the Belgian will not start even if fit.
At the back, Maresca will look to build momentum with the central partnership of Levi Colwill and Wesley Fofana. At the same time, Malo Gusto will continue in James’s prolonged absence, with Marc Cucurella firmly settled as the first-choice left-back. Maresca will also keep Noni Madueke and Cole Palmer in the same roles, as he will hope for a similar return to the last game.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Sanchez; Gusto, Fofana, Colwill, Cucurella; Caicedo, Fernandez; Madueke, Palmer, Neto; Jackson
Crystal Palace
Much like every other team in the league, Oliver Glasner can look forward to the next phase, where he has a settled squad and shows signs of a settled starting eleven. Crystal Palace had some key signings coming in on deadline day, but the most important news was about retaining Marc Guehi despite huge links with a move away to Newcastle United.
Joachim Andersen did leave during the window, but Crystal Palace did get Maxence Lacroix from Wolfsburg and then Trevoh Chalobah from Chelsea on loan. Neither of those defenders might be available for the Chelsea visit, meaning Glasner might resort to using Chris Richards and Nathaniel Clyne alongside Guehi at the back.
Jefferson Lerma and Adam Wharton could continue to build their partnership in the middle of the pitch. At the same time, Daichi Kamada could replace the departed Odssone Edouard to play besides Eberechi Eze, as Jean-Phillipe Mateta leads the line for Crystal Palace against Chelsea. There is no update on whether Palace were able to register new arrival Eddie Nketiah in time for this weekend’s action, and if he does make it, then there will be a debut off the bench.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Henderson; Clyne, Guehi, Richards; Munoz, Wharton, Lerma, Mitchell; Kamada, Eze; Mateta
Key Stats
- Chelsea have won their last 14 matches against Crystal Palace in all competitions.
- Chelsea have not lost back-to-back home games at the start of a league season since the 1978/79 campaign.
- Crystal Palace have lost their last 14 games at Stamford Bridge in all competitions.
- Crystal Palace have lost their opening two games for the first time since Frank de Boer was their manager.
Player to Watch
Noni Madueke
Madueke had an interesting few weeks, following some criticism surrounding his words, the city of Wolverhampton and then responding to the boos at the Molineux with a hattrick there. The winger has put himself in a terrific position to keep getting selected by Maresca in his starting eleven, and that will be the case on Sunday.
However, the arrival of Jadon Sancho does add to the pressure on the former PSV winger, as he will have to keep performing to keep hold of his place. Hence, a big performance, as a follow-up to that against the Wolves, is needed for Madueke to cement his spot as Maresca’s starting right-winger going forwards.
Prediction
Chelsea 2-1 Crystal Palace
Enzo Maresca will undoubtedly hope for another goal-laden performance from his young stars, although Crystal Palace offers a different threat and a tough one compared to Wolves. While the Blues have more power going forward, they might still concede here and there due to an unsettled defence at this point.
Meanwhile, Glasner will be hoping to put a stop to their losing start to the campaign and look to make the game a bit more aggressive at Stamford Bridge. However, the odds are against Palace on this one, as Chelsea are the favourites to nick three points with a narrow advantage when they host the Eagles at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.