- Away team has won five of six
- Palace goalless, winless through seven
- Chelsea leads all-time 21W-15D-10L
A fixture that has been anything but predictable gives moribund Crystal Palace a bit of hope versus Chelsea this weekend, though being at home has not been a boon to either London side in this series (Watch live at 10 a.m. ET on NBCSN and online via NBCSports.com).
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The visitors have claimed all three points on four-straight occasions between Palace and Chelsea, and the Blues will be keen to strike following a loss to Man City which dipped them six points back of the throne.
Both teams have their star attackers the fittest they’ve been this season, with Eden Hazard ready to roar for Chelsea and Wilfried Zaha’s Palace return imminent.
But Chelsea has concerns with Alvaro Morata and N’Golo Kante out, though David Luiz returns from suspension.
What they’re saying
Palace’s Zaha on life at Selhurst Park: “Players are not robots. You have got feelings. Bad games, good games, your emotions change all the time. Having someone who is just going to ask you now and then how you are makes a big difference, especially for me. It [feeling loved] is massive. I am a confidence player. So even just having the fans signing, “he’s just too good for you!” . . . these people proper love me. When my confidence is high I am able to do things that I do not even think I could do.”
Chelsea’s Hazard on his return: “I missed football for three months [and] it’s not easy to come back after a big injury but I did. I worked out during the summer. I just want to play football. I will miss some games, I will play bad for some games. I just want to play football and try to bring the best of me.”
Prediction
It’s difficult to keep a straight face and pick Palace to get anything from a match right now, and even Zaha’s probable return coupled with some Chelsea injuries won’t lead us down that path. Chelsea 3-0.