Kick-off: 1400, 15/01/2023
Stadium: Stamford Bridge
Chelsea are in desperate need of a lift and can hopefully get the better of similarly out-of-sorts Crystal Palace at Stamford Bridge.
The Blues have hosted four teams from the bottom half of the table so far this term and picked up maximum points on each occasion.
Their current slump will create some nerves, but 12/5 for a home win by any one-goal margin is our first Chelsea vs Crystal Palace prediction.
That bet would have paid off on the last two of Chelsea’s 10 straight league wins over Palace!
Chelsea Odds
Thursday’s debut of expensive loan signing Joao Felix at Fulham summed up Chelsea’s recent misfortune.
Portugal international Felix was the best player on the pitch for nearly an hour but then received a straight red card for a reckless challenge.
The Blues were drawing 1-1 at that stage, with Kalidou Koulibaly cancelling out Willian’s opener, but Carlos Vinicius went on to win it for the Cottagers.
That result left Chelsea 10th in the table, 19 points behind leaders Arsenal and 10 adrift of a top-four spot.
“It’s really frustrating,” said Graham Potter. “It’s incredibly challenging, it’s a tough moment, I feel for the supporters.”
Felix is now banned for three matches, while midfielder Denis Zakaria joined Chelsea’s lengthy injury list.
The bare facts show that the Blues have lost six of their last eight games, but in that run they have faced Manchester City three times, Arsenal and Newcastle.
In the middle, there was a 2-0 home victory over Bournemouth and the hope is that Chelsea can prove a class apart here, as well.
Mason Mount netted against the Cherries and was lively at Craven Cottage, so 6/1 for him to break the deadlock appeals from the Chelsea vs Crystal Palace odds.
Last Chelsea line-up: Kepa, Silva, Chalobah, Koulibaly, Kovacic, Mount, Zakaria, Azpilicueta, Hall, Felix, Havertz.
Felix and Zakaria have joined Reece James, Raheem Sterling, N’Golo Kante, Wesley Fofana, Ben Chilwell, Armando Broja, Reuben Loftus-Cheek, Christian Pulisic and Eduoard Mendy on the sidelines.
Crystal Palace Odds
Palace can also boast a recent win over Bournemouth but that was their only bright spot since the World Cup break.
Emphatic home defeats by Fulham and Tottenham, with seven goals conceded and none scored, have left the Eagles 12th in the table.
Last weekend brought more disappointment at Selhurst Park, when going down 2-1 to Southampton in the FA Cup.
Patrick Vieira’s side went ahead early on through Odsonne Edouard and created plenty of other opportunities, but could not find the finishing touch.
Poor defending on either side of half-time kick-started Saints’ comeback, with James Ward-Prowse and Adam Armstrong doing the damage.
“I’m concerned, yes, worried no,” said Vieira. “Again, you can see that at times we can play some really good football and we can create chances, but the mindset has to be better.
“But to be better, we need to work on that. And to work on that, it will not happen in the next week or next month. That is a process that will take time.”
Palace have done well in the first half away from home this season, but are 8-1 down after the break in Premier League games.
Let’s finish off our Chelsea vs Crystal Palace betting tips by taking 16/5 for Draw HT/Chelsea FT.
Last Palace line-up: Guaita, Ward, Guehi, Andersen, Clyne, Olise, Hughes, Doucoure, Ayew, Zaha, Edouard.
Palace will have defender Tyrick Mitchell available again after a three-match suspension. Midfielder James McArthur (hip) and defender Nathan Ferguson continue their rehabilitation.
Additional stats
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