Chelsea will be desperate to return to winning ways when they take on Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Saturday.
The 2024/25 Premier League season resumes on Saturday with Gameweek 20. The latest round of fixtures will kick off with the game between Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United before the action continues with five simultaneous matches, including Crystal Palace vs Chelsea at Selhurst Park.
Crystal Palace began the 2024/25 season poorly, struggling to get out of the drop zone, with wins coming at a premium. However, things have turned around in recent weeks, with Oliver Glasner’s men losing only two of their last 11 Premier League games. The run of results has lifted the Eagles out of the relegation dogfight, going five points clear of 18th-placed Ipswich Town.
As for Chelsea, the last few games have witnessed a turnaround in fortunes, albeit not in the way they would have liked. Despite Enzo Maresca’s comments, the West London outfit seemed like an outside contender for the Premier League title. However, a three-game winless run has dropped them ten points behind Liverpool, with the faint hopes fading.
The reverse fixture saw Crystal Palace come from a goal down to hold Chelsea to a 1-1 draw, with Eberechi Eze earning a point for his side. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Crystal Palace
Oliver Glasner has greeted a mixed bag of updates on the team news front ahead of his side’s latest fixture. The Crystal Palace manager will be bereft of the services of five first-team players vs Chelsea on Saturday.
Marc Guehi is available after serving a suspension. However, Trevoh Chalobah is ineligible to face his parent club this weekend. Meanwhile, Matheus Franca (groin), Adam Wharton (groin), and Franco Umeh-Chibueze (hamstring) remain on the sidelines, while Rob Holding is banished from the first-team picture.
Dean Henderson is an automatic pick between the sticks, with Crystal Palace lining up in a 3-4-3 formation in front of him vs Chelsea on Saturday. The central defensive unit should feature Chris Richards, Maxence Lacroix, and Marc Guehi. Daniel Munoz and Tyrick Mitchell are automatic picks as the two wing-backs.
As for the midfield unit, Will Hughes and Jefferson Lerma should pair up in the central areas, looking to keep things tight in the middle of the park. Finally, Jean-Philippe Mateta will lead the line for Crystal Palace against Chelsea, with Eberechi Eze and Ismaila Sarr completing the numbers in the offensive trifecta.
Probable Lineup (3-4-3): Henderson; Richards, Lacroix, Guehi; Munoz, Hughes, Lerma, Mitchell; Sarr, Mateta, Eze
Chelsea
Unlike his counterpart in the Crystal Palace dugout, Enzo Maresca does not have any new issues hampering his preparations ahead of the trip to Selhurst Park. The Chelsea manager might be without only three first-team players on Saturday.
Maresca is sweating over the fitness of Carney Chukwuemeka (illness), Romeo Lavia (hamstring), and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall (knock), with the trio facing late fitness tests to determine their availability. However, Wesley Fofana (hamstring) and Benoit Badiashile (unspecified) remain on the sidelines, while Mykhailo Mudryk is indefinitely unavailable.
Robert Sanchez will take his spot between the sticks, with Chelsea lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him vs Crystal Palace on Saturday. The backline should feature Malo Gusto, Tosin Adarabioyo, Levi Colwill, and Marc Cucurella.
As for the midfield unit, there is no looking past Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo. Cole Palmer will reprise the no. 10 role, with Pedro Neto and Jadon Sancho being the two wide attackers. Finally, Nicolas Jackson will lead the line for Chelsea against Crystal Palace.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Sanchez; Gusto, Tosin Adarabioyo, Colwill, Cucurella; Enzo Fernandez, Caicedo; Pedro Neto, Palmer, Sancho; Jackson
Key Stats
- Crystal Palace’s 1-1 draw vs Chelsea in the reverse fixture in September ended a run of 13 consecutive Premier League defeats against the West London outfit. They have not avoided defeat in both league meetings since 1991/92 (D2). The Blues have won 12 of the 15 Premier League away games against Crystal Palace (D1 L2). That is the joint highest away win rate any side has versus another in the competition (80% – min. 10 meetings).
- Crystal Palace have lost their opening league match in the last three calendar years by an aggregate score of 12-2. All three have also been London derbies. On the other hand, Chelsea have won their first league outing in only one of the eight most recent calendar years (D5 L2), although that was a 1-0 win over Fulham in 2024. They most recently won their maiden league game in consecutive years in 2005 and 2006.
- After losing five of their first eight Premier League games this season (D3), Crystal Palace have emerged on the wrong end of the result in only two of their last 11 outings (W4 D5). However, both defeats in this current run have been in home London derbies (0-2 vs Fulham, 1-5 vs Arsenal).
- Chelsea’s 2-1 defeat to Fulham on Boxing Day ended a seven-game unbeaten run in Premier League London derbies for (W5 D2). However, the Blues have won both London derbies on the road this season, netting 3+ goals each time (3-0 vs West Ham United, 4-3 vs Tottenham).
- No player was involved in more Premier League goals during 2024 than Cole Palmer (26 goals, 13 assists), a record by a Blues player in a single year. Only Erling Haaland (142) had more shots (139) than Palmer, and only Bruno Fernandes (99) created more chances (97) than the Englishman.
Player to Watch
Nicolas Jackson
December was a testing period for Nicolas Jackson, who had to endure rotations and sketchy form, with his output dropping in recent weeks. The Senegalese international has scored only one goal in his last five outings.
So, amid Chelsea’s faltering form, Enzo Maresca will hope Jackson can rediscover his best touch and inspire a turnaround in fortunes for the West London outfit. Otherwise, Chelsea’s over-dependence on Cole Palmer will continue, which will be a dangerous situation for the away side.
Prediction
Crystal Palace 1-2 Chelsea
The contrasting fortunes of the two teams mean a closely contested affair is on the cards for Saturday’s London derby. Crystal Palace will head into this weekend’s clash on a high, while Chelsea will be desperate to turn things around and keep the faint Premier League title hopes alive.
However, Crystal Palace’s only two defeats in the recent positive run have come in London derbies, and a trifecta might be on the cards this weekend. While there might not be much to separate the two teams, Chelsea should have the quality to eke a narrow victory. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-1 win for Enzo Maresca and his charges.
