Crystal Palace vs Chelsea

Selhurst Park forms the backdrop for an all-London Premier League match-up between Crystal Palace and Chelsea.

Crystal Palace confirmed their resurgence following a miserable Premier League start with a 2-1 home triumph against basement boys Southampton at the end of 2024, bookending a decent-looking run of just two defeats from their last 11 top-flight matches (W4, D5). Ominously for head coach Oliver Glasner, both those defeats came against fellow London rivals, casting doubt on Palace’s bid to defy a dreadful 15-game winless streak against Chelsea in the Premier League (D1, L14). Seeking their first H2H win in October 2017, Palace must rediscover their home form after only winning two league games at Selhurst Park all season (D4, L4). Confidence stems from a 1-1 draw in the reverse fixture. However, they’ve been prone to slow home starts, finding the opening goal in just two of their ten home league outings this term.

Visiting Chelsea must take advantage of Palace’s home wobble to get their stuttering Premier League season back on track. Enzo Maresca’s men were in the title conversation until not long ago, yet after picking up just one point from their last three league encounters (D1, L2), they slipped to fourth in the table. Furthermore, Chelsea had only dropped points twice in their first eight away league matches under Maresca (W6, D1, L1). They’re now winless on their last two top-flight road trips (D1, L1), failing to score on both occasions! Another scoring blank would see the Blues go three consecutive Premier League away games without finding the net for the first time since February 2019.