Chelsea vs Crystal Palace – English Premier League – Preview

Posted on August 28, 2015 by Sreya

Chelsea will host Crystal Palace at Stamford Bridge as the English Premier League champions aim to get their season back on track, after a disappointing start to the 2015/16 domestic season. Chelsea have taken only four points out of nine and would like to head into the international break with a win under their belt. Crystal Palace, meanwhile, have made a promising start to their season, winning against Norwich and Aston Villa, but losing closely against Arsenal.

Team News

Chelsea skipper John Terry is suspended, having picked up a red card against West Bromwich Albion on the last matchday. Chelsea will also be without Oscar and Victor Moses, who are suffering from injuries. Alan Pardew has a number of injury concerns as well, with Julian Speroni, Fraizer Campbell, Kwesi Apiah and Mile Jedinak all ruled out of the game. Marouane Chamakh and Connor Wickham have also been listed as doubtful and both are certain to face a late fitness test. Patrick Bamford, on loan from Chelsea, is ineligible to play against his parent club.

Chelsea Possible Starting XI: Thibaut Courtois, Cesar Azpilicueta, Gary Cahill, Kurt Zouma, Cesc Fabregas, Pedro, Willian, Eden Hazard, Diego Costa.

Crystal Palace Possible Starting XI: Alex McCarthy, Joel Ward, Damien Delaney, Scott Dann, Pape Souare, Yohan Cabaye, James McArthur, Wilfired Zaha, Jason Puncheon, Bakary Sako, Glenn Murray.

Match Facts

This will be Jose Mourinho’s 100th Barclays Premier League home fixture and the Portuguese has won 76 and lost just one match at Stamford Bridge till date. The occasion will also mark his 200th Premier League match as Chelsea manager.

Chelsea have won six of its last seven matches against Crystal Palace in all competitions and have and edge over their derby rival, but have also conceded a minimum of 2 goals in all their matches this season. Chelsea also have the dubious distinction of conceding the most shots in the Premier League this season, so will have to be aware, especially with John Terry absent.

There have been a minimum of 2.5 goals scored in both Chelsea and Crystal Palace’s last five Premier League matches, therefore this particular fixture should be a high-scoring one and the chance of a scoreless draw is almost negligible.

Contributor’s Pick

According to Head-2-Head statistics, Chelsea have won 56% of its matches against Crystal Palace. It should be a closely contested affair considering Chelsea’s porous defensive performances off late and Crystal Palace’s striking achievements under Alan Pardew but Chelsea should manage to get three points, with a 2-1 scoreline the most probable margin of the encounter.