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Crystal Palace vs. Chelsea FC
After winning the Club World Cup last Saturday in the United Arab Emirates, Chelsea FC will be looking for their next success in the Premier League. Currently, the Blues are in 3rd place in the table. Thomas Tuchel’s team will probably no longer be in the running for the English championship, given the 16-point gap between them and league leader Manchester City. However, the reigning Champions League winners won their last league match after four games without a win. The Blues beat Tottenham Hotspurs 2-0 in the London derby on 23 January and have not played a league game since. Now just under a month on, Chelsea’s 25th Premier League game is coming up.
Just under nine miles south on the other side of the Thames is Crystal Palace’s Selhurst Park. The south Londoners are 13th in the table and have been winless for five games in a row. Most recently, the Eagles drew twice in a row. Coach Patrick Viera’s side are in no-man’s land in the table, floating through the Premier League without a goal or ambition for the season. The goal set at the beginning of the season of finishing in the top eight will almost certainly be missed. Find out whether the Eagles can still trip up the Blues in our Crystal Palace – Chelsea betting tip.
Crystal Palace – Chelsea info
– Date & Time: 19/02/2022, at 16:00.
– Venue: London, Selhurst Park
– Competition: Premier League, Matchday 26
– TV coverage: Sky
Crystal Palace Form & Balance Check
Once again Crystal Palace are in the bottom half of the table and thus in no man’s land in the Premier League. Even the rejuvenation of the Eagles before the season could not change that. Patrick Viera took over as head coach and added a lot of young talent to the team, which is supposed to build up Crystal Palace in the coming years. However, the state of affairs is that this plan, while laudable, is not yielding any returns. With 26 points from 24 games, the Eagles are 13th in the table. The team from Selhurst Park has been waiting five games for its sixth win of the season. Most recently, Crystal Palace drew 0-0 with promoted Brentford.
No real strengths to be seen
Crystal Palace will not be relegated. The gap to the relegation places, with a nine-point lead and given the performances of the other teams from the bottom of the table, is too big for that. Another indication of the lack of ambition is the eleven draws so far. Together with Southampton, the Eagles have drawn more times than any other team. On top of that, they have a negative goal difference of 32:35. At least their home record is much more positive than their away record. The Eagles have collected 17 of their 26 points at Selhurst Park.
Crystal Palace facts & analysis
– Crystal Palace are 13th in the table with 26 points.
– The Eagles are winless for 5 games.
– Crystal Palace have only won 5 games out of 24.
Chelsea form & balance check
Chelsea start their comeback after a 27-day league break on Saturday with a cup win in the bag. By winning the Champions League, the Blues were allowed to participate in the Club World Cup, which they successfully won in the final against Palmeiras from Brazil. Before the Club World Cup, Thomas Tuchel’s team won in the 4th round of the FA Cup against Plymouth Argyle. The Blues also finished victorious in their last outing in the Premier League. On 23 January, Chelsea won 2-0 in the London derby against Tottenham. However, with the Blues already 16 points behind Manchester City, they will probably have to declare the championship topic over. With 47 points, Chelsea are stable in 3rd place in the table.
Too many draws
That Chelsea could have already collected more than 47 points is shown by the many draws. The Blues have already drawn eight times. No other team in the current top four has drawn more times. Before the victory over Tottenham, the Blues were winless in four games. Chelsea also drew three times within this series. In fact, six of the eight draws ended 1-1, so if the Blues had won those games, they would now have 63 points instead of 47. With that tally, Chelsea would be level on points with league leaders Manchester City.
Chelsea facts & analysis
– Chelsea are 3rd in the table with 47 points.
– Only one of the last 5 league games the Blues could win.
– Chelsea are unbeaten in 9 league games.
Predicted line-up – last update on 16 Feb 2022
Crystal Palace play a 4-3-3 system for the majority of the time under Patrick Viera. The Eagles want to be dangerous especially on the flanks, where the focus is on Zaha, who is by far the best player in the team. Most of the attacks go through him.
Chelsea also played in a 4-3-3 system against Spurs. If you like, this formation can also be read as a 4-2-1-3 basic alignment. With a good overview, the Blues dictate the game from the centre and pass the balls on to the outer lanes. Lukaku in the centre of attack is the target player.
Crystal Palace – Chelsea direct comparison & stats
Crystal Palace and Chelsea have met 39 times before. In this duel, Chelsea earned the more positive record. The Blues won 24 games, whereas the Eagles could only win 6 encounters. A further 9 meetings ended in a draw. The last time they met, the whistle blew 3-0 in Chelsea’s favour.
– Chelsea have won the last 8 duels in a row.
– Crystal Palace are winless against Chelsea since 2017.
– Crystal Palace have failed to win 3 home games in a row against Chelsea.
– Since 1991, Chelsea have lost only 2 games at the Eagles.
