Chelsea vs Crystal Palace prediction: ENGLAND: Premier League betting tips on match 2023-12-26 19:30.
[p]The first Premier League (PL) fixture on Christmas Eve since 1995 did nothing but dampen the festive spirit at Chelsea, who succumbed to a 2-1 defeat at Wolves. That was a fourth loss in six PL outings for Mauricio Pochettino’s beleaguered outfit, who ended the last round of fixtures a whopping 14 points shy of the top-four – a damning indictment of their fall. [/p]
[p]Stamford Bridge has at least been a safe haven of late, as the Blues have won back-to-back PL games there, last managing to win three on the spin in October 2022. Cross-city rivals Crystal Palace are next up, and that usually spells good news for Chelsea, who’ve won 12 consecutive H2H meetings with the Eagles – a sequence that spans over six years![/p]
[p]Even in spite of Chelsea’s struggles, an away victory here looks unlikely when you consider that Palace themselves have failed to win any of their last seven matches (D3, L4). The Eagles’ struggles are best epitomised by their slender six-point gap to the drop zone ahead of the round, with two points squandered by conceding a late equaliser against Brighton on Thursday.[/p]
[p]Scoring goals is Palace’s main problem, as only basement boys Sheffield United (13) have netted fewer than their 18 PL goals. This is far from the ideal fixture to try and correct that record in though, as the Eagles have blanked in four of the last five H2Hs, while no side in PL history has beaten them more often than Chelsea (W4, D2, L22).[/p]
[p]Players to watch: Six months after signing for the club, Christopher Nkunku scored his first Chelsea goal in the 2-1 loss against Wolves, and with Raheem Sterling and Cole Palmer suspended, he’s primed for his first start. Palace winger Michael Olise reportedly turned down a move to Chelsea over the summer, and he arrives at Stamford Bridge in good form having directly contributed to goals in back-to-back games (G1, A1). [/p]
[p]Hot stat: Roy Hodgson has won just five of his 22 managerial H2Hs against Chelsea (D1, L16).[/p]