There are five English Premier League fixtures taking place at the traditional time of 3pm on the opening weekend of the season. That includes the meeting between Chelsea and Crystal Palace at Stamford Bridge.
This London derby presents a good opportunity for Chelsea to start the season with maximum points but it presents a tough start for new Crystal Palace manager Patrick Vieira.
Chelsea’s won another European Cup, European Cup, European Cup. 🎶 pic.twitter.com/JadwAvPvUy— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) August 11, 2021
Chelsea’s won another European Cup, European Cup, European Cup. 🎶 pic.twitter.com/JadwAvPvUy
Chelsea come into the match having played in the UEFA Super Cup on Wednesday night in Belfast. Due to the location, there was not much travel involved for Chelsea and they will be delighted to bring the trophy back to Stamford Bridge.
However, The Blues would have liked to have got the job done inside 90 minutes having taken the lead in the 27th minute of the match. Villarreal equalised in the 73rd minute and the game went to penalties, with Chelsea coming out on top.
The UEFA Super Cup is the second trophy won at the club for Thomas Tuchel but the German coach will be aware the Premier League title is the number one priority this season. Chelsea have enjoyed a good preseason and recorded victories over Bournemouth and Arsenal plus a 2-2 draw with Tottenham Hotspur.
Trends show Chelsea have a good record of 16 undefeated games in their last 19 encounters in the Premier League. Their home form towards the end of last season was inconsistent and Tuchel will be keen to make Stamford Bridge a fortress in this campaign.
Crystal Palace have recorded a series of good results in preseason. The Eagles have defeated Walsall, Ipswich Town, Reading and most recently, Watford. There was also a 2-2 draw against Charlton Athletic, meaning Crystal Palace were undefeated throughout preseason and will be hoping to build on that in the early stages of the Premier League season.
Crystal Palace ended last season with 3 defeats from their final 4 fixtures, losing against Southampton, Arsenal, and Liverpool. In fact, Crystal Palace have recorded only 2 wins from their last 9 Premier League matches.
Their away record shows just one victory from their 6 most recent away league games. Crystal Palace have had no problem finding the back of the net when playing away from home and have scored in 6 of their last 7 Premier League matches on the road but have kept just one clean sheet in their last 10 away trips.
Team news and Chelsea will be hoping Hakim Ziyech recovers from a shoulder injury picked up in the match against Villarreal on Wednesday. Every other player should be fit and available, with Mason Mount and Jorginho expected to come into the starting XI.
Crystal Palace are expected to be without new signing Michael Olise due to injury. Eberechi Eze and Nathan Ferguson are also doubts but Joachim Andersen and Marc Guéhi could make their Premier League debut in defence.
Chelsea will be keen to lay down a marker to the rest of the Premier League with a good win.
Crystal Palace have the ability to score a goal but could find the Chelsea attack too much in this game. We expect to see Chelsea come out on top with both teams scoring.