Crystal Palace v CHELSEA: Preview

Date: Sunday twenty fifth
January 2026

Venue: Selhurst Park

Kick-off: 14:00 GMT

This
afternoon, we make the journey to Selhurst Park, in any other case referred to as the Premier
League’s reply to IKEA – simple to get in, exhausting to get out with what you
truly need. Sure, it’s Crystal Palace away.

Our hosts have been so
allergic to successful currently that solely Burnley are on an extended winless run. In
equity, they haven’t overwhelmed us in 17 makes an attempt, however let’s face it, with the
method Chelsea have been enjoying, they’re most likely wishing each week was
Chelsea-at-home week. Are you able to blame them?

Palace are coming off a
defeat to Sunderland, whereas Chelsea scraped previous Brentford with all of the fashion
and magnificence of a wardrobe malfunction. Let’s not point out the Champions League
win towards Pafos, a spectacle so painful it ought to have include a free eye
masks and a web-based hyperlink for psychological remedy.

Neither membership arrives
with their heads held excessive although. Palace have a supervisor who spent his final
press convention making it clear how he felt concerning the Board. Chelsea,
in the meantime, have a fanbase who ought to get loyalty factors for surviving the
Board’s choices – and a supervisor assembling ways with the assistance of a Lego
set and a sticker guide.

Chelsea’s away league
type hasn’t sparkled since a November journey to Burnley – and with a London derby
at Selhurst Park, there’s little purpose to imagine we’ll be dancing within the
streets of London this night. However hey, that is soccer, and as Chelsea followers
know, hope is simply distress with higher PR.

MANAGER’S VIEWS

Going into
right now’s sport, Crystal Palace supervisor, Oliver Glasner, says “Chelsea have been a
Membership World Cup winner six months in the past. UEFA Convention League winners, fourth
final 12 months on the finish within the league, qualifying for Champions League, [and this
season] prime eight within the Champions League. It’s a implausible workforce. I believe Enzo
Maresca did a implausible job there, and Liam Rosenior now continues the job,
as a result of I believe since he arrived they’ve performed each third day, so there’s not
a large impression on the coaching pitch. It’s an ideal workforce, implausible gamers.
The construction additionally didn’t change massively, you already know – it’s small margins, however
I additionally watched the Brentford sport again. I believe Brentford may have received this
sport. On the opposite aspect, Chelsea have been very environment friendly and punished each mistake
Brentford made, and that is the standard of the workforce, that is the standard of the
gamers.

For us, we
will should be very, very constant: don’t give them simple probabilities, as a result of
it’s fairly powerful to defend all the standard of the wingers with Pedro, Estevão,
Alejandro Garnacho, Jamie Gittens, whoever is enjoying. It’s the identical profile –
everyone’s fast. After which, with João Pedro, with Liam Delap, with Cole
Palmer, with Enzo Fernandez all the time attacking the field from midfield and scoring
objectives from there, and Moises Caicedo the playmaker in midfield… I believe it’s
not a large change in the best way they’re enjoying. However on the opposite aspect, we
confronted them 3 times, I believe, since I arrived with three attracts – and now we
will attempt to take the primary win.”

Liam
Rosenior, in the meantime, says “Selhurst Park is for me one of the tough
locations to go within the Premier League. It’s important to be prepared for a bodily battle.
The environment within the stadium goes to be pink scorching. So we’re not taking it
evenly in any respect. I used to be lucky sufficient to play towards Crystal Palace earlier
within the season [with Strasbourg]. We all know what an excellent workforce they’re. We’re going
to need to be very, superb to win the sport.

I
know that if this group of gamers carry out within the method that I count on them to,
we’ve an ideal probability of successful any sport towards any workforce, and we simply have
to deal with that going into Crystal Palace.”

SQUAD NEWS

For Crystal Palace, Cheick Doucoure
(knee), Eddie Nketiah (thigh), Daichi Kamada (thigh) and Rio Cardines are out. Daniel
Munoz (knee) is offered, Ismaila Sarr returns from ACON responsibility, and Nathaniel
Clyne is one other potential returner.

For Chelsea, Levi Colwill (ACL) stays out and is joined by Dario Essugo who
managed to choose up a brand new damage in coaching, and Tosin Adarabioyo (hamstring). Mykhailo Mudryk stays out via suspension. Cole Palmer (groin)
and Reece James could also be out there however Romeo Lavia isn’t anticipated to play a component.

TEAMS

CRYSTAL
PALACE (Attainable line-up): Henderson;
Richards, Lacroix, Lerma; Devenny, Wharton, Hughes, Mitchell; Johnson, Pino;
Mateta

CHELSEA (Attainable line-up): Sanchez; James, Chalobah, Badiashile, Cucurella; Caicedo, Fernandez; Neto, Palmer, Garnacho; Peter

LAST SEASON

Crystal Palace 1-1
Chelsea (4th January 2025)

CURRENT FORM (PL)

CRYSTAL PALACE: LLDLDL

CHELSEA: DLDDLW

OTHER STUFF

Crystal
Palace are and not using a win of their final 16 Premier League video games towards ChelseaChelsea have solely failed to attain in a single
of their 16 Premier League away video games towards Crystal PalaceCrystal Palace have saved simply three clear
sheets of their final 34 league video games towards Chelsea.Crystal
Palace are winless of their final 7 Premier League video games

PREDICTION

Sportsmole: Crystal Palace 1-1 Chelsea