Chelsea and Crystal Palace meet at Stamford Bridge, in a match for the 4th round of the Premier League. In this stadium, the history of direct confrontations is favorable to the home team, which registers 3 wins and 1 loss in the last 4 games. In fact, the last time these two teams played a match at this stadium was on 09‑11‑2019, in a Premier League match that ended with Chelsea’s victory by (2‑0). The goals of the match were scored by T. Abraham (52 ’) and C. Pulisic (79′) for Chelsea. In this match, the home factor may be decisive, as Chelsea present considerable differences in their results at home and as a visitor.
Chelsea :
After 1 win, 1 draw and 1 loss, the home team is currently in 9th position, with 4 points won. In their last match, they drew in an away match against West Bromwich Albion by (3‑3), after having lost (0‑2) at home in the previous match, in a match against Liverpool. This is a stronger team with the support of its fans, since in the last 30 games it has registered 5 wins, 5 draws and 5 losses as a visitor; against 10 wins, 1 draw and 4 losses in his stadium. In their last match, for the League Cup, they lost away to Tottenham Hotspur by (5‑4), in a shoot-off on penalties. In their last 10 home games, Chelsea have 8 wins and 2 losses. Their defense has not been very strong, as they have suffered goals in 8 of the last 10 matches, but their offense has scored regularly, as they have scored goals in 9 of the last 10 matches. In 15 games, they suffered the first goal 5 times and never got the comeback. There is 1 period that stands out in the last 20 home matches for all competitions: they have conceded 6 of their 17 goals between minutes (46′ ‑ 60 ‘).
Chelsea comes to this game unmotivated, after the elimination of the League Cup, losing on penalties against Tottenham. In the last league game, the home team drew 3×3 with West Bromwich Albion. To play at home, coach Frank Lampard must organize the team into a 4-3-3, favoring maintenance of possession and attacks through the flanks: Kai Havertz will be the team’s master, being a player who owns enormous technical quality. For this game the coach of the house cannot count on Andreas Christensen and Mateo Kovacic, both suspended, in addition to Pulisic, Ziyech, Gilmour and Marco Van Ginkel, all with physical problems.
Crystal Palace :
The visiting team is currently in 6th position, with 6 points won, after 2 wins and 1 loss. In the penultimate match, they won away against Manchester United by (1‑3). In the last match, they lost at home to Everton by (1‑2). This is a team little affected by the home factor, that is, it presents similar results at home and away, since in the last 30 games it has registered 4 wins, 5 draws and 6 losses as a visitor, with 12 goals scored and 20 suffered; against 5 victories, 3 draws and 7 defeats in his stadium, with 14 goals scored and 16 suffered. In the last 10 away matches for all competitions, Crystal Palace has won 4 and lost 6. Their attack has scored regularly, as they have scored goals in 8 of the last 10 matches.
Crystal Palace comes into this match after a 1-2 reception loss to Everton, thus recording the first defeat in this Premier League: the team’s only goal was scored by Cheikhou Kouyaté. Coach Roy Hodgson should play 4-4-2, favoring defensive organization and consecutive attacks, especially on the left: Andros Townsend offers great depth to the team. Wilfried Zaha stands out at Crystal Palace, with three goals scored. For this game against Chelsea, the visiting coach cannot count on Connor Wickham, Nathan Ferguson, Patrick Van Aanholt, Gary Cahill, James Tomkins and Cenk Tosun, all with physical problems.
