Chelsea vs Crystal Palace predictions: Selection issues to catch up with the Blues
- Chelsea have lost three of their last five matches
- Crystal Palace are unbeaten in two games on their travels
- Recommended bet: Draw
Chelsea will look to bounce back from their 2-1 defeat to Wolves on Christmas Eve when they host Crystal Palace on Wednesday.
Mauricio Pochettino's side wasted numerous chances at Molineux, and were eventually caught out, as they lost 2-1 on Sunday.
Palace have once again struggled without several of their first-team stars, but back-to-back draws against Manchester United and Brighton will have restored some confidence.
Team news
Pochettino will need to make three changes to the team that started against Wolves, with Lesley Ugochukwu suffering a hamstring injury, while Cole Palmer and Raheem Sterling picked up their fifth yellow cards of the season, so they are suspended.
Palace coach Roy Hodgson may be able to recall playmaker Eberechi Eze to his starting XI after he played 20 minutes against Brighton last time out. That could be the only alteration for the Eagles as they try to string some results together.
The stats
If Chelsea avoid a defeat, they will extend their unbeaten run to six matches at home in all competitions. However, in the Premier League, they have conceded plenty of goals at Stamford Bridge, with Pochettino's men shipping 10 in their last five home league games.
Palace are winless in seven matches in the Premier League, and in their previous three away from home.
Hodgson's side have not faired well against Chelsea in recent years, losing the last 12 meetings between the two clubs.
Prediction
While Chelsea have shown flashes of real quality, consistency continues to be their main issue under Pochettino. The former Tottenham coach has struggled to stick with the same starting XI, and a lack of cohesion was to blame for their defeat to Wolves.
The absence of Sterling and Palmer will be hard felt at Stamford Bridge as well, as the duo have been Chelsea's best players in recent weeks, and they provide most of the creativity from midfield.
Palace have shown signs of improvement recently, and that has coincided with the return of some of their better players. They could struggle to create enough chances against Chelsea, but they have enough about them to frustrate their hosts and take a point from their trip across London.
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