Chelsea vs Crystal Palace Preview – Premier League 2025-26 | Form, Injuries, Lineups & Prediction
Chelsea vs Crystal Palace preview –The FIFA Club World Cup Champions welcome the Emirates FA Cup Champions to Stamford Bridge on Sunday to open what they hope will be another step in the right direction for Enzo Maresca. Crystal Palace will be no easy task after overcoming Champions Liverpool in the Community Shield a week prior, and after learning their unfortunate fate with European football, they will surely have the grit between their teeth and a point to prove to people.
Current Form
Chelsea comes into the opening day off the back of a very small preseason, only including games against a very poor Bayer Leverkusen and AC Milan. But fresh off the back of a very successful Club World Cup campaign, the likes of Liam Delap and Joao Pedro have been well integrated into the squad. Brazilian wonder kids Andrey Santos and Estevao got key minutes in the two fixtures in front of the Stamford Bridge faithful. New blues on the block, Jorrel Hato and Jamie Gittens got vital game time and will be sure to be looking to hit the ground running.
Palace come into the season on red-hot form, having not been beaten in a competitive game since a 5-0 drubbing against Newcastle in April, including two trophy lifts in Wembley against two powerhouses of the Premier League, and will fancy their chances against a potentially tired Chelsea side. With good squad depth coming in with Bernd Sosa and Walter Benitez and no major outgoings as of yet – even though a move for Eberechi Eze seems likely – The Eagles will be looking forward to a big opening day.
Head-to-Head Record
In the Premier League era, Chelsea have normally always had The Eagles’ number, with 20 wins in the 26 meetings between the two London sides. Last year, both teams shared the spoils in their two encounters, with two 1-1 draws, with the most recent meeting being in January, where a late Mateta goal cancelled out Cole Palmer’s opener.
Crystal Palace haven’t managed to beat Chelsea since October 2017 when an own goal from Azpilicueta and a strike from Wilfried Zaha cancelled out Bakayoko’s goal for the Blues. No player on either side on the day is still at their respective club now. You don’t have to look too far away from that win in October to see when Palace last beat Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
Injury News & Suspensions
Chelsea:
- Nicolas Jackson – out (Suspension)
- Benoit Badiashile – out (Leg injury)
- Levi Colwill – out (ACL Surgery)
- Omari Kellyman – doubtful (Hamstring injury)
- Romeo Lavia – out (Thigh Injury)
- Wesley Fofana – doubtful (Hamstring injury)
Crystal Palace:
- Chadi Riad – out (Knee injury)
- Cheick Doucoure – out (Knee injury)
- Daichi Kamada – doubtful (Knee injury)
- Eddie Nketiah – out ( Hamstring injury)
Predicted Lineups
Chelsea: Sanchez; James, Tosin, Chalobah, Cucurella; Caicedo, Fernandez; Gittens, Palmer, Neto; Pedro
Crystal Palace: Henderson; Munoz, Richards, Lacroix, Guehi, Mitchell; Hughes, Wharton; Sarr Eze; Mateta
Tactical Preview
Expect Chelsea to come flying out of the traps with quick football and a lot of link-ups with triangular patterns, with Enzo pushing up to support Palmer as two No. 10s with Reece James stepping into midfield. As the game progresses, expect to see Estevao, Delap, and Andrey Santos, should Chelsea need a goal, whilst Malo Gusto for Reece James is nearly a guaranteed substitution, with Hato likely to see some game time also.
Palace should bring a similar approach as they did against Liverpool, compact at the back and feeding off scraps, expect Mateta to occupy the two centre halves to create room for Sarr and Eze to run onto the end of Adam Wharton’s magic in midfield. Daniel Munoz has been a star since signing for the Eagles, so expect him to exploit any room left behind Cucurella with plenty of overlapping runs.
Key Battles
- Mateta vs Chalobah & Tosin: Mateta’s ability to occupy two defenders leaving room for Eze and Sarr
- Wharton vs Caicedo- Game is won and lost in midfield, with Caicedo looking to kick on as one of the best in the world.
- Neto vs Mitchell – Should Neto start, he will want to try to get a run at Mitchell whenever possible
Predicted Scoreline
Chelsea 2-1 Crystal Palace
Chelsea start the season as they mean to go on, but a late Sarr goal leaves question marks over the defence. Maybe their answer is playing on the same pitch.
Goals From: Joao Pedro, Palmer, and Sarr.
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