Chelsea and Crystal Palace kick off the action in the English Premier League this weekend, with the London rivals clashing at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.
It’s fair to say that Chelsea have endured an indifferent start to the 2020/21 campaign. Frank Lampard’s men defeated Brighton 3-1 on the opening day but were beaten 2-0 by Liverpool on Matchday 2.
A 6-0 thrashing of Barnsley in the EFL Cup followed soon after before the Blues were forced to come from 3-0 down to rescue a draw with West Brom in their previous league outing.
Last time out, Chelsea dominated Spurs for large spells of their EFL Cup Round of 16 tie, but Mason Mount’s missed spot-kick saw the Blues eliminated on penalties.
Of course, Chelsea have made a number of high-profile attacking signings, with Timo Werner, Kai Havertz and Hakim Ziyech all arriving at Stamford Bridge this summer.
But judging by the Blues’ defensive performances in the early stages of the season, Lampard’s backline clearly needs reinforcing if Chelsea are serious about finishing in the top four.
Meanwhile, Crystal Palace sit two points ahead of Chelsea in the table after winning two of their opening three games.
The Eagles kicked off their campaign with a 1-0 win over Southampton before securing a well-deserved 3-1 victory over Manchester United at Old Trafford.
Roy Hodgson’s men may have lost 2-1 to Everton last time out, but with the Toffees in strong form, Palace gave a good account of themselves.
Only Aston Villa have conceded fewer goals than Palace so far this season, while only a handful of teams have scored more than Hodgson’s side.
Head-to-head: Chelsea have claimed five straight victories over Palace, with the Eagles last win in this fixture coming back in 2017.
It is also worth pointing out that the Blues have kept two clean sheets in their last three meetings with Palace and have scored over 1.5 goals in four of their last five encounters.
Team news: Chelsea will be without injured trio Hakim Ziyech, Christian Pulisic and Billy Gilmour. Timo Werner is a minor doubt after picking up a knock in the previous game.
Crystal Palace could have as many as eight absentees this weekend. The Eagles have a lot of defenders on the sidelines, while Michy Batshuayi is unable to face his parent club.
Chelsea have made a shaky start to the season, but the Blues will be confident of picking up their second league win of the campaign this weekend.
Forebet predicts that both teams will score. However, Lampard’s side have more than enough quality to come out on top.
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