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Chelsea vs Crystal Palace preview, H2H, team news, line-ups and prediction

Enzo Maresca will hope for back-to-back Premier League wins when Chelsea welcome Crystal Palace to Stamford Bridge on Sunday.

by
Max Akpan
September 1, 2024

Enzo Maresca will hope for back-to-back Premier League wins when Chelsea welcome Crystal Palace to Stamford Bridge on Sunday in what would be a thrilling London derby.

Despite the off-field criticism surrounding their transfer dealings, there’s no denying that Maresca has assembled a talented squad. The Italian coach secured his first win with Chelsea in their last match, where Noni Madueke’s second-half hat-trick led to an impressive 6-2 victory against Wolverhampton Wanderers.

The Blues’ showcased a dominant display at Molineux last Sunday, where they scored six goals which marked the 21st occasion they’ve netted six or more goals in a Premier League match, second only to Manchester City’s 22 instances.

However, just as momentum was building, Chelsea faced an unexpected setback, losing 2-1 in their Europa Conference League playoff in Switzerland against Servette.

Although the defeat in did not prevent them from advancing 3-2 on aggregate, it has sparked renewed concerns regarding certain aspects of their squad, particularly in defence, as this marks the third time in four games they’ve conceded twice.

Friday’s draw for the league phase has set up a challenging road ahead for Chelsea, including a tough trip to Kazakhstan to face Astana and a visit to the intense atmosphere at Panathinaikos. However, facing less prominent clubs like Shamrock Rovers of Ireland and Noah of Armenia could help them secure a spot in the knockouts while keeping their domestic focus intact.

Fortunately, Chelsea didn’t show signs of a European hangover last weekend, and fans with Chelsea tickets will be aiming for a repeat performance against a team they’ve consistently dominated in recent encounters.

Despite last season’s challenges, the West London side managed to secure another league double over Palace, extending their winning streak against the Eagles to 14 matches, including 13 in the Premier League.

A victory in their upcoming match would allow Chelsea to tie the English league record for consecutive wins against a single opponent, a record currently held by Manchester City with 15 wins over Bournemouth.

This fixture is one that Palace likely dreads the most. Regardless of their performance or approach, they consistently find themselves on the losing end against Chelsea, as demonstrated in their last encounter at Selhurst Park.

Palace’s start to the new season has been challenging. Despite the high hopes following a strong finish under Oliver Glasner last season, the Eagles have yet to secure a point after two games.

Having suffered defeats to Brentford and West Ham, they may be apprehensive about facing a third consecutive London derby.

This marks the first time the Eagles have lost their opening two games since the Frank de Boer era when they started the season with seven consecutive defeats but eventually recovered to finish 11th.

A relegation battle was not anticipated for the Eagles before the season began, especially given the positive impact Glasner had after his arrival in February.

But it’s not all bad news for Glasner’s team, who may have been a bit unlucky. The Austrian manager opted for a full-strength squad in their midweek EFL Cup match against Norwich City, possibly to boost morale after their two disappointing league results.

The decision paid off as Palace secured a 4-0 victory. Eberechi Eze was in fine form, scoring his first goal of the season, while Daichi Kamada opened his Palace account, and Jean-Philippe Mateta added a brace, including a stunning acrobatic volley.

They’ll hope to ride on the momentum when they take the trip to the West side of London to face Chelsea at lunchtime on Sunday.

Chelsea vs Crystal Palace match details

Match stats and head-to-head
Date: Sunday, 1 September, 2024
Location: London, England
Venue: Stamford Bridge
Kick-off time: 12:30 PM UTC, 01:30 PM BST
Referee: Jarred Gillett
Assistant referees: Darren Cann, Steve Meredith
Fourth official: Peter Bankes
VAR: Michael Oliver
Assistant VAR: Eddie Smart

Match stats and head-to-head

• Chelsea have won their last 13 consecutive matches against Palace in the Premier League.

• Chelsea’s Cole Palmer has been directly involved in 37 goals since the beginning of the 2023-24 season — the most by any player in the Premier League in that run.

• Palace’s Eberechi Eze has been involved in 16 shots so far this season — the most by any player in the Premier League after matchweek three.

• Ahead of their clash against the Eagles, Chelsea have not lost their first two matches at home in a single League campaign so nice the 1978-79 season.

• Recent records suggest Chelsea might be facing a daunting task against Palace as they’ve lost their last two matches after netting six or more goals. Both losses came against Arsenal in 2022 and 2024 where they lost 4-2 and 5-0 respectively.

• If Maresca leads Chelsea to a win on Sunday against Palace, it would equal the longest run of consecutive victories against a single opponent in the Premier League, a record currently held by Manchester City with 14 straight wins against Bournemouth.

• Both London clubs have met 65 times with Chelsea winning 38 while Palace have only. managed 12 wins. 15 of these clashes have ended in draws.

Team news

Chelsea may stick with a similar lineup to the one that secured the victory against Wolves, with Mykhaylo Mudryk being the most likely player at risk of losing his starting spot. Pedro Neto, who missed the trip to Geneva, came on at halftime at Molineux, replacing Mudryk, and might be set for a full debut after assisting Joao Felix for Chelsea’s sixth goal.

None of the players introduced against Servette on Thursday are expected to keep their places, though Madueke and Enzo Fernandez, who were surprisingly included in the starting lineup, are likely to feature again.

In terms of injuries, Romeo Lavia is out with a hamstring problem, and Reece James is still recovering from a thigh injury while also serving a suspension carried over from last season.

Following their strong midweek lineup against Norwich, Crystal Palace might stick with a similar starting XI, with Eze, Mateta, and Adam Wharton expected to feature from the beginning.

However, Matheus Franca is still sidelined due to injury, and he’s now joined by Chadi Riad, who was forced off the pitch after just 10 minutes in the midweek game. Riad’s injury poses a significant challenge for Glasner, particularly following Joachim Andersen’s exit.

However, Marc Guehi remains with the team despite strong interest from Newcastle United.

With Sam Johnstone’s move to Wolves, Dean Henderson is now set to be the first-choice goalkeeper for the season, though Matt Turner has joined from Nottingham Forest to offer competition and backup.