Crystal Palace travel to south-west London to face Chelsea in the Premier League’s early kick-off on Saturday. This will be the Eagles’ 100th London derby in England’s top-flight and it’s set to be a thrilling encounter.
The Blues are on a fantastic run. Frank Lampard’s side have won eight of their last 10 games in all competitions, including five straight league victories. Chelsea are the most in-form team in the Premier League and find themselves 4th in the table.
Crystal Palace are without a win in three league games. A 2-2 draw with Arsenal was sandwiched by 2-0 defeats to Leicester and Manchester City, leaving Roy Hodgson’s team in 9th.
Palace have struggled to score goals this season. Their tally of 10 in the Premier League means that only Newcastle and bottom-place Watford have scored fewer goals in the division. However, the Eagles’ defence has been strong, with Chelsea conceding three more goals than Palace this term.
On the other hand, Chelsea have been scoring for fun. Man City and Leicester are the only teams with a better goal-scoring record in the league, while three of Chelsea’s last seven games in all competitions have seen the Blues score four.
Chelsea come into this game on the back of a stunning 4-4 draw with Ajax in the Champions League in midweek. Lampard’s men rallied from 4-1 down to rescue a remarkable draw at Stamford Bridge.
Two Jorginho penalties were added to by strikes from Cesar Azpilicueta and Reece James, while Chelsea enjoyed the majority of the possession and registered almost three times as many shots as their Dutch opponents.
It’s worth pointing out that Crystal Palace have been strong on the road this season. The Eagles have won five of their last eight away league games. Chelsea have won four of their last eight at home.
However, there has not been a draw in this fixture since 1995. The last 16 Premier League matches between Chelsea and Crystal Palace have had a winner.
With that being said, the Blues have beaten Palace in their last three meetings, and Chelsea come into this match in far better form than Hodgson’s side.
Crystal Palace have scored in seven of their last eight matches against Chelsea, and this theme looks set to continue on Saturday. Still, Lampard’s men should have enough to overcome Palace.
Forebet predicts that Chelsea will record another high-scoring win, with both teams likely to get on the scoresheet.