FC Chelsea – Crystal Palace
Premier League kicks off with a London derby on Sunday, with Stamford Bridge the venue for Enzo Maresca’s side to host Oliver Glasner’s Crystal Palace. Both teams start the season almost level in the table, with Chelsea in 7th place in the Premier League and Palace in 8th. The last two league encounters ended 1-1, on January 4 at Selhurst and in September at the Bridge. Chelsea come into the game as club world champions, Palace as FA Cup and Shield winners.
In terms of personnel, it is a tricky situation for Chelsea, who are without Levi Colwill, Nicolas Jackson is suspended, and Mychajlo Mudryk remains unavailable. Tosin Adarabioyo and Trevoh Chalobah could start in central defense, while Maresca is still looking for a center back. Palace welcome back Adam Wharton and captain Marc Guéhi, but Daichi Kamada and Eddie Nketiah are out. Betting markets are expecting lots of cards and goals. In addition, all teams will wear black armbands for Diogo Jota.
Chelsea – Crystal Palace Info
- Venue: Stamford Bridge, London
- Date and time: 17.08.2025, 3:00 p.m.
- Competition: Premier League (Matchday 1)
The fact that Chelsea have been scoring consistently recently and Palace have had at least three goals in four of their last five league games suggests that there will be over 2.5 goals. In addition, the visitors are missing key defensive players such as Chadi Riad and Cheick Doucouré, while the Blues have pace and finishing ability in attack with Cole Palmer and the in-form João Pedro. This fits in with the general approach under Maresca, who continues to focus on a high tempo after winning the Club World Cup.
Both teams to score: Yes seems just as plausible. Palace have enough quality in Eberechi Eze and Jean-Philippe Mateta, even without Daichi Kamada, and Chelsea are reshuffling at the back with Levi Colwill out with a cruciate ligament injury and the new center-back pairing of Trevoh Chalobah and Tosin Adarabioyo still finding their feet.
The tip for a draw at half-time is more speculative, but justifiable. In a London derby with fresh pairings in Chelsea’s center and a reshuffled Palace midfield around Adam Wharton and Will Hughes, the game is likely to be tentative at first, even though Palace has often led at halftime recently and there has never been a draw. The personnel changes justify looking at the odds of 2.25.
On a side note, Palace are traveling in good form after their Community Shield triumph, but they have to manage their Conference League focus and the unrest surrounding Marc Guéhi, as Liverpool are publicly showing interest. That will be an additional challenge for the visitors.
Chelsea Form & Record Check
Chelsea are in brilliant form. In the Club World Cup, they beat ES Tunis 3-0, Benfica 4-1 after extra time, Palmeiras 2-1, Fluminense 2-0 and Paris Saint Germain 3-0 in the final. This was followed by a 2-0 win against Bayer Leverkusen and a 4-1 win against AC Milan in friendly matches. Cole Palmer made his mark on the final with two goals and an assist, João Pedro scored, and Liam Delap then impressed with a brace.
Interestingly, Chelsea have scored in each of their last competitive games, mostly early on. They have never conceded before half-time, often taking the lead and then controlling the pace. There were always more than 1.5 goals, often more. Maresca’s basic formation with a back four and a midfield trio looks effective, Gusto provides width, Caicedo and Enzo balance things out. The only reservation is that the quality of the opposition varied and short periods of complacency occasionally looked too comfortable.
In terms of personnel, Levi Colwill’s cruciate ligament rupture weighs heavily, which is why Maresca is pushing for an additional center back. Benoît Badiashile is aiming for September, Mychajlo Mudryk is suspended, as is Nicolas Jackson. Nevertheless, the offense looks more versatile with Palmer, João Pedro, and Delap.
We expect Chelsea to line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation under Maresca, based on our prediction: Sánchez, Gusto, Chalobah, Adarabioyo, Cucurella, Caicedo, and Fernández as a double six, with Palmer in front of them, flanked by Neto and João Pedro, and Delap up front. The plan is likely to be to build calmly, press actively, and play Palmer between the lines. This is a possible starting XI, not a confirmation.
In terms of personnel, there is a lot to be said for Chalobah alongside Adarabioyo, as Colwill is out for a long time with a cruciate ligament rupture and Badiashile is not expected back until September at the earliest. Jackson is suspended, so Delap will play as a nine. Mudryk is also missing due to a sports court ban across competitions. Neto and João Pedro could attack the half-spaces, while Gusto and Cucurella provide width. Minor changes are possible.
Crystal Palace Form & Record Check
Palace are on a roll across all competitions. They beat Liverpool 2-2 on penalties in the Community Shield. Before that, they drew 1-1 at Anfield Road in the league, beat Wolves 4-2 and won 2-0 at Tottenham. In the FA Cup, they beat Manchester City 1-0. The team looked surprisingly composed in the big moments.
Their strong start to the game before the break is particularly striking. They have scored in each of their last five games, mostly early on. They have been ahead at half-time four times, after which the pace occasionally slows down. The second halves are more controlled, with fewer chances, but they have remained unbeaten. Interestingly, this fits in with Glasner’s adaptable, structured approach.
Tactically, Glasner relies on a back three with active wing-backs such as Daniel Muñoz and Tyrick Mitchell, Mateta as a fixed point, and Eze and Ismaïla Sarr between the lines. Adam Wharton organizes the build-up. Kamada is missing for Chelsea, as are Doucouré and Nketiah, which limits the options. Their cup form gives cause for optimism.
We expect Palace to line up in their usual 3-4-2-1 formation under Glasner: Henderson, Richards, Lacroix and Guéhi at the back. Munoz and Mitchell on the wings, Wharton in the center with Hughes. Eze and Sarr behind Mateta. That gives pace on the wings and two free number 10 zones for Eze. Interestingly, Guéhi could set the pace in the build-up play immediately after his return.
It’s a prediction, because Kamada is out for Stamford Bridge, which means Eze and Sarr will probably play in the number 10 roles. Doucouré and Riad are still out, Nketiah is also missing, and França is working on his comeback. Hughes is likely to start alongside Wharton, but Lerma would be the obvious alternative. Despite transfer rumors surrounding Guéhi and Eze, we expect both to start.
H2H Chelsea – Crystal Palace Head-to-Head & Statistics
In the last five head-to-head matches, Chelsea has won three and drawn two. The wins came in 2023, 2023 and 2024, with the last two games ending in draws in September 2024 and January 2025. Crystal Palace remained winless during this period.
Four of the five games saw goals from both sides, with at least two goals scored in 80% of the games. There was no goal fest, with all games ending with fewer than 3.5 goals. Strikingly, Chelsea scored in each of the five games, while Palace conceded every time.
The second halves have tended to be low-scoring recently, with 80% of them ending with fewer than 1.5 goals. Chelsea also won the second half three times in a row, which was in line with their three consecutive wins up to 2024. The margin was usually narrow, with three games ending 2-1 or 1-1.
The bottom line is that Chelsea’s recent run speaks for itself. However, the two draws in the last twelve months suggest that the two sides are closely matched, and small details such as effectiveness after the break could tip the scales.
