Crystal Palace vs Chelsea prediction: ENGLAND: Premier League betting tips on match 2025-01-03 15:00.
[p]Crystal Palace’s recent improvement that has seen them lose just two of their last 11 Premier League games (W4, D5) will be seriously tested in their 2025 opener, as they welcome Chelsea to Selhurst Park. Ominously, those two aforementioned defeats came in London derbies, while in recent years, this fixture has tormented the Eagles, who last won it back in October 2017 (D1, L14 since).[/p]
[p]No side in the competition’s history has beaten them more than Chelsea (24), but Palace did at least end a 14-match H2H losing streak when drawing 1-1 with the Blues in September’s reverse fixture. Building on that on home turf, where Oliver Glasner’s men have won just twice in the Premier League all season (D4, L4), is set to be tricky though, with only the promoted teams and Wolverhampton Wanderers having earned fewer points at home in that time. [/p]
[p]Chelsea ended 2024 in miserable fashion, failing to win any of their final three fixtures to end any realistic aspirations of a title challenge (D1, L2). Head coach Enzo Maresca – who always insisted that his side weren’t contenders – admitted that he “expected this kind of moment” following a 2-0 defeat to Ipswich Town on Monday, with the Blues becoming the first team to be beaten at Portman Road in the top flight in more than two decades.[/p]
[p]That was despite firing in 20 shots and dominating possession, making it back-to-back away games without scoring for Chelsea after they also drew a blank at Everton (D1, L1). Their last sequence of three league matches on the road without a goal came back in February 2019 under Maurizio Sarri, and fellow Italian Maresca will be all too aware that another defeat could see them finish this round of fixtures outside the top four.[/p]
[p]Players to watch: Three of IsmaĂŻla Sarr’s four Palace goals this term have arrived before half-time, yet the only one on home soil came in a 5-1 thumping at the hands of Arsenal. Dropped to the bench against Ipswich, Nicolas Jackson could be in line for a Chelsea starting XI recall here given that he opened the scoring in the last H2H – while seven of his nine goals this season have come in the first half.[/p]
[p]Hot stat: Palace have scored first in just two home games in the Premier League this season – a joint-low figure in the division. [/p]
[p][i]Written by Ryan Fisher[/i][/p]