1 Chelsea vs 1 Crystal Palace
Chelsea eyeing back-to-back victories in London derby against Palace.
After a stunning 6-2 victory over Leicester City ignited their season, Chelsea aim to secure back-to-back Premier League wins as they host Crystal Palace in Sunday's London derby at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea
A 6-2 win over Leicester City dispelled any doubts about Chelsea's form this season, especially after a 2-0 opening-day defeat.
Noni Madueke's hattrick [49’, 58’, 63’] not only secured the convincing win but also made him the Premier League's second-highest scorer behind Erling Haaland [4].
Enzo Maresca also achieved a personal milestone by becoming the first manager in the Premier League to see his team score six goals in their first away game.
Despite a midweek 2-1 loss to Servette in the Europa Conference League playoffs, Chelsea advanced with a 3-2 aggregate win and are eager to replicate last weekend’s triumph over Palace in Sunday’s London derby.
With a 13-game winning streak against the visitors, Chelsea will be in high spirits. However, a defeat at Stamford Bridge on Sunday would mean back-to-back home losses for the first time since the 1978-79 season.
Enzo Maresca is expected to deploy a 4-2-3-1 formation with Nicolas Jackson leading the attack. Reece James is ruled out, while Raheem Sterling and Ben Chilwell are expected to leave before the transfer deadline.
Crystal Palace
Palace picked Norwich City apart in a midweek 4-0 win in the EFL Cup. However, back in the Premier League, the Eagles are yet to earn a maiden win.
With back-to-back defeats, Palace are without a point while in 17th place following last weekend’s 2-0 loss to West Ham.
With an 80% defeat rate in 30 games against Chelsea, earning a maiden season win on Sunday could turn out to be a tall order. At the moment, it is the highest number of defeats a side has suffered against another having played at least 30 games in the competition.
Nevertheless, Oliver Glasner’s side will be hoping to see another kind of Chelsea, different from the one that put six goals past Leicester City. A 3-4-2-1 formation with Jean-Philippe Mateta in attack is expected.
Chadi Riad and Matheus Franca are both ruled out of this weekend’s London derby. "[Matheus] França, still with his fractured rib, is out. Chadi, with his knee injury now [is out]. I think everybody else is available," Glasner said in a pre-match press conference on Friday.
Team form
Showing the latest five games—giving you a quick look at recent performance trends. Teams in good form tend to do well in the next match.
Team Comparison
Side-by-side assessment of team statistics, including goals, attacks, and more. This allows you to directly compare key performance metrics. Analyzing these stats can reveal patterns and strengths that might influence the outcome.