Premier League 2022-23: Chelsea vs Crystal Palace: Predicted lineup, injury news, head-to-head

The Blues will face the Eagles on Sunday.

Chelsea will play host to Crystal Palace on Sunday evening in the Premier League in an effort to snap a three-match losing streak in all competitions. The Blues will enter the game coming off a 2-1 league loss at Fulham, while Palace just lost 2-1 to Southampton in the third stage of the FA Cup.

Although there is no denying that Graham Potter's tenure as manager has had a difficult start. He is not seen to be under significant pressure at the moment. Instead, Chelsea's manager is anticipated to be given time to turn things around at Stamford Bridge.

In fact, Chelsea lost 2-1 to Fulham on Thursday in the league, following back-to-back losses to Manchester City in the Premier League and FA Cup, respectively. In those games, Chelsea gave up five goals to Pep Guardiola's team while failing to score any goals.

A Champions League appearance this season is in serious question as Potter's team is now down in 10th position in the table, some 10 points behind fourth-placed Manchester United who have a game in hand.

Chelsea has defeated Palace in each of their past 11 Premier League encounters, with their lone loss coming in October 2017. This run of success should give them confidence going into this game.

Palace lost 4-0 to Tottenham Hotspur at home on January 4 in the league, and they were also defeated by Southampton last weekend in the FA Cup. As a result, the London club are yet to win in 2023. For the remainder of the season, the Eagles only have to worry about the league, and they have three challenging games remaining, including two against Man United and Newcastle United.

Kick-off: 7:30 pm (IST), 2:00 pm (GMT)

Chelsea form (all competitions): L-W-D-L-L-L

Crystal Palace form (all competitions): L-W-L-W-L-L

Players to watch

Wilfried Zaha

The Ivorian national team forward has 6 goals and 2 assists in the premier league so far and his experience in the premier league for more than a decade speaks for himself. The speed, skill, and goal-scoring prowess he possesses have made him a hero. He has been one of Crystal Palace's most important players in recent years and a major contributor to the team's success in the scoring category.

Kai Havertz 

Many people have criticized Havertz for just having 4 goals and 1 assist for the club this season so far. He is still one of the best players in Chelsea by acting as their backbone in the match through his work rate on and off the ball.

Match Facts

• The Blues want to avoid losing four league and cup games in a row for the first time since Glenn Hoddle was in charge and they lost six in a row in 1993.
• Chelsea has lost two of its last three Premier League games at Stamford Bridge. This is the same number of losses as it had in its first 21 home games.
• Graham Potter could be the first Chelsea manager to lose his first two home London derbies in the league since Tommy Docherty in 1961-1962.
• Three of the last four Premier League games that Crystal Palace has played have ended in losses.
• Palace could be the first team to lose their first three games of a calendar year since 1994.

Injury and Team News

The absences of Reece James, Wesley Fofana, N'Golo Kante, Armando Broja, Ben Chilwell, Raheem Sterling, Edouard Mendy, and Christian Pulisic have not improved Chelsea's situation. Denis Zakaria is also a significant doubt with the injury he sustained against Fulham, and Ruben Loftus-Cheek may be too fresh to play.

Meanwhile, Joao Felix was dismissed on his debut against Fulham, thus the Atletico Madrid loanee will miss the following three matches due to suspension. Marc Cucurella, Jorginho, and Hakim Ziyech might start in place of Marc Cucurella, Jorginho, and Hakim Ziyech, the three players that took the field against Fulham at the opening whistle.

Tyrick Mitchell is returned from suspension for Palace and is expected to return to the defence. The Eagles will again be without James McArthur and Nathan Ferguson due to injury, but other than that, they are in terrific shape for the London derby. Zaha is set to be joined in the last third of the field by Jordan Ayew and Eberechi Eze on Sunday afternoon, with no big lineup shocks anticipated. Joel Ward is likely to lose his position at the back, as Nathaniel Clyne will switch to right-back to allow Mitchell to return to left-back.

Head-to-Head Stats

Games played - 73

Chelsea - 55

Crystal Palace -18

Draws - 0

Predictable Lineup

Chelsea:Kepa; Chalobah, T Silva, Koulibaly; Azpilicueta, Jorginho, Kovacic, Cucurella; Mount, Havertz, Ziyech

Crystal Palace:Guaita; Clyne, Andersen, Guehi, Mitchell; Olise, Doucoure, Schlupp; J Ayew, Zaha, Eze

Match Prediction

This is a crucial match for Chelsea, as Potter must begin to stem the tide if he is to retain his position as manager. The Eagles are more than capable of inflicting additional misery on the Blues, but we have a sense that the hosts will be able to secure a crucial three points on Sunday afternoon.

Prediction: Chelsea 3 - 1 Crystal Palace