Fresh from clinching the Club World Cup, Chelsea return to Premier League action on Saturday – coming up against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.
The Blues find themselves third in the table – seven points behind second-place Liverpool and four points clear of fourth-place Manchester United. Meanwhile, the Eagles sit thirteenth – nine points clear of the relegation zone and 21 points behind Thomas Tuchel’s side.
Crystal Palace have only managed to win five of their 24 Premier League games this season, recording 11 draws and eight losses along the way. That means only one team – Brighton & Hove Albion – have registered more Premier League draws this term.
Patrick Vieira’s men head into Saturday’s clash on a five-game winless stretch in the league, having notched three draws and two losses since beating Norwich City in late December. Although Palace have lost just one of their past six matches in all competitions, they have only managed to win one of their previous eight Premier League clashes.
Chelsea claimed a 2-1 victory over Brazilian side Palmeiras to lift the Club World Cup last weekend. They also have the EFL Cup final to look forward to later this month, giving them another opportunity to pick up more silverware. the Premier League, Tuchel’s men have suffered just three losses in 24 outings this season – racking up 13 wins and eight draws in the process. The Blues have only lost one of their previous nine Premier League games, securing three wins and five draws in that time.
Head-to-head: Across all competitions, Chelsea have won each of their last eight meetings with Crystal Palace. Not only have Chelsea scored over 1.5 goals in each of their last five games against Palace, but they have also netted at least one goal in all of their previous 15 meetings.
Crystal Palace will be without the injured Nathan Ferguson on Saturday. There are also doubts over the fitness of Cheikhou Kouyate.
Ben Chilwell remains Chelsea’s only long-term absentee, although Mason Mount, Reece James and Ruben Loftus-Cheek are all doubts for the weekend.
