Ace Football previews the Premier League match between Crystal Palace and Chelsea and offers betting tips, odds, line-ups, and team news.
It’s another London derby on Saturday evening as Crystal Palace and Chelsea lock horns at Selhurst Park.
A victory would move Palace past the 40-point mark in the Premier League, all but ensuring a ninth consecutive campaign in the English top-flight. Chelsea, however, aren’t to be underestimated. The visitors seek to reclaim a top-four spot and arrive off the back of a convincing Champions League triumph.
It should be another intense affair in a fixture that hasn’t yielded a draw in its last 19 Premier League rounds. But while Palace have been solid at home recently, Chelsea are back in form and ready to roll with plenty of big hitters recharged.
Crystal Palace Form & Stats
Michy Batshuayi’s second goal of the season last weekend salvaged a 1-1 draw against Everton. Palace sat back for most of the game, opting to focus on hitting the Toffees on the break. It won them an important point, leaving the 13th-placed side on 38 points overall and 12 points above the relegation zone ahead of the last eight matches.
Now attention turns to Chelsea, a team Palace have fared poorly against in the past. Roy Hodgson, who has lost his last six league games against the Blues, is expected to opt for similar tactics to what he used in the Everton draw.
Despite a mixed record this season, the Eagles have kept five clean sheets in their last seven home league games (W3 D2 L2). They could even keep a fourth consecutive blank at Selhurst Park on Saturday for the first time since April 1992.
Key Team Stats
- Drawn 3 of their last 5 league games (W1 L1).
- Lost each of their last 6 league games against Chelsea.
- Kept a clean sheet in each of their last 3 home league games.
- Averaged 4 corner-kicks in their last 4 league games.
- Christian Benteke has had 8 goal involvements in his last 10 league games against Chelsea (6 goals, 2 assists).
- Palace manager Roy Hodgson has lost his last 6 league games against Chelsea and has only fared worse against Tottenham (7).
Chelsea Form & Stats
Thomas Tuchel’s unbeaten start as manager ended in a bizarre 5-2 defeat to West Brom last weekend. Chelsea, however, picked themselves up on Wednesday by beating Porto 2-0 in Seville for the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie.
The Blues also remain undefeated under Tuchel away from home in the Premier League (W3 D2). They also comfortably beat Crystal Palace 4-0 in October, with the third and fourth goals courtesy of two Jorginho penalties, and won eight of their last 10 visits to Selhurst Park in the English top-flight (L2)
Timo Werner’s 11 goal involvements (5 goals, 6 assists), meanwhile, is the most of any Chelsea player. Despite only scoring twice in his last 31 outings for club and country, the striker remains in favor under Tuchel and is desperate to end his barren record.
Key Team Stats
- Unbeaten in 5 away league games under Thomas Tuchel (W3 D2).
- Won 8 of their last 10 away league games against Crystal Palace (L2).
- Only scored 5 goals in their last 3 away league games, with 3 of them coming from a penalty.
- Failed to score over 2 goals in any of their 16 games under Thomas Tuchel in all competitions.
- Won 1.82 points-per-game in the league’s London derbies, the best record of any capital club this season.
- Timo Werner has a club-best 11 goal involvements in the league (5 goals, 6 assists), but has scored just once from his last 42 shots.
- Olivier Giroud has scored in 4 of his last 5 league starts at Selhurst Park.
Team News
Crystal Palace
Out: Mamadou Sakho, Wayne Hennessey, James McCarthy, James Tomkins, Nathaniel Clyne, Nathan Ferguson, Michy Batshuayi.
Doubts: James McArthur, Connor Wickham.
Chelsea
Out: Thiago Silva.
Doubts: N/A.
Predicted Line-ups
(Note: The image will change to the official XI once they’re both announced)
Top Scorers in Premier League
Head-To-Head Record
Below are some head-to-head stats on each team’s recent form in the Premier League.
Betting Tips
More Odds
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