Premier League: Chelsea Favoured to Give Crystal Palace the Blues

Chelsea vs Crystal Palace

After losing the opener against Manchester City, Chelsea bounced back with a big 6-2 win against Wolves last weekend, and they will aim for their second consecutive Premier League win when they host Crystal Palace at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.

This has been a great turnaround for Enzo Maresca after he experienced a rough start at the helm as the Blues manager. On top of winning two straight league games, Chelsea have also qualified for the Europa Conference League after eliminating Servette.

In contrast, Crystal Palace are still searching for their first league win after losing 2-1 to Brentford in the opener and 2-0 to West Ham United on Saturday. They did, however, advance to the third round of the EFL Cup after beating Norwich City 4-0 on Tuesday.

The pre-game SBOTOP betting odds have the Blues as the favourites, but can the Eagles put up a fight?

 

Talking Points

Chelsea’s strength in numbers

To give Enzo Maresca the support he needs, Chelsea were the busiest team in the summer transfer window, and that’s an understatement.

Team owner Todd Boehly is never afraid to splash the cash since he bought the team two years ago, and that remains the case this summer, signing 13 new players while letting go of 14.

While it may take some time for the newest signings to make their mark, it was one of Boehly’s early investments, Noni Madueke, who has been paying dividends in the last few days.

The 22-year-old winger has scored four goals in his last three competitive appearances, including a hat-trick in their demolition of Wolves.

Because of his ability to put up Premier League 2024 highlights, Madueke was handed a call-up to the English national team ahead of the September international break.

Noni Madueke is not the only player to look out for if you’re Crystal Palace, as Christopher Nkunku already has two goals this season, while Nicolas Jackson, Cole Palmer, and Joao Felix have also opened their accounts.

The only thing to nitpick about the Blues is their midfield since Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia have been carrying knocks, leaving Enzo Fernandez having to do too much.

 

Centre-half woes for Crystal Palace

Crystal Palace might be in for a long night at Stamford Bridge because their defensive depth has been compromised anew by injuries.

New signing Chadi Riad sustained a knee injury in the Eagles’ EFL Cup second round victory over Norwich, leaving head coach Oliver Glasner with just two available centre-backs in Chris Richards and Rob Holding.

With Joachim Andersen leaving for Fulham and Marc Guehi’s future in Selhurst Park in doubt amid links to Newcastle United, this is not the type of news the Crystal Palace fans want to hear.

Worse comes to worse, either Joel Ward or Nathaniel Clyne could be asked to play as part of the back three, with Jeffrey Schlupp also an option.

Defensive midfielders Adam Wharton and Cheick Doucoure will have to work double time to provide sufficient cover to compensate.

 

History

Chelsea have won each of their last 13 Premier League matches against Crystal Palace, including a double last season via an aggregate tally of 5-2.

Overall, the Eagles have lost 80-per cent of their 30 Premier League meetings against the Blues (W4, D2, L24) ahead of this weekend, their highest loss rate in such a sample size.

The last time Crystal Palace lost their first three matches of an English top-flight campaign was in 2017-18.

But if Crystal Palace pull off a miracle and beat Chelsea, it’ll mark the first time since 1978-79 that the Blues lose their first two league matches at home in a single campaign.

 

Betting Tip

Chelsea fans would love to see the latest Premier League 2024 odds because their team is the huge favourite to win this weekend. The Blues are at 1.58, while Crystal Palace are 4.25 underdogs, and a draw is at 4.03 in the 1X2 market.

Other than going for a Blues victory, bettors may also go for a high-scoring game (based on their recent encounters), making bets like Over 3.00 at 1.84 and Total Goal 4-6 at 2.42 viable, while Total Goal 2-3 at 2.07 is a bit on the safer side. Furthermore, Correct Scores of 3-1 and 2-1 – the results of their last two league meetings – have decent offers of 11.00 and 7.50. But if you think that Crystal Palace can get a point from this fixture, then check out the Correct Score of 0-0 at 19.00.

   

●●●

CHECK OUT OUR BLOG FOR MORE FOOTBALL STORIES & ODDS

Stay updated with everything sports and betting.

Follow us on social Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.