Chelsea travel to south London on Sunday to face a Crystal Palace side enduring a torrid start to 2026.
Liam Rosenior hopes to build on his first Premier League victory as Chelsea manager while inflicting further damage on the Eagles at Selhurst Park.
Palace announced manager Oliver Glasner would leave the club at the end of the season, then sold captain Marc Guéhi to Manchester City for £20 million before being knocked out of the FA Cup by non-league Macclesfield. The chaos has left supporters angry and the team rudderless.
The Blues must avoid ringrust after their midweek Champions League game against Pafos, but the opportunity to collect three points against struggling opposition is too valuable to waste.
The sides drew 0-0 on the opening day of the season. Glasner has steadily shaped Palace into a hard-to-beat outfit capable of upsetting bigger clubs on their day, but recent form suggests that resilience is cracking under the pressure of injuries and key departures.
Chelsea’s fresh start under Rosenior
Rosenior oversaw his first home win as Chelsea manager last weekend with a 2-0 victory over Brentford at Stamford Bridge.
Goals from João Pedro and Cole Palmer secured three points, though it was not an easy afternoon’s work. Keith Andrews’ Brentford posed a physical challenge and registered more shots than the hosts, but Chelsea showed a clear identity under their new manager.
This could perhaps be the turning point of the season. Sitting sixth in the Premier League table, the likes of Manchester United and Liverpool also sit on the periphery of the top four but have shown they’ll drop points and that’s where Chelsea can move.
The betting odds have given Rosenior a good chance, with the Blues given strong backing this weekend, across sports betting apps and Casinos.com’s PaySafeCard casino list, where matchday betting interest continues to surge as the season reaches its decisive phase.
Enzo Maresca departed the club on New Year’s Day after falling out with the board, and Rosenior has already made his mark. The defenders stepped up with the ball more than they did under the Italian, suggesting a tactical shift toward building from the back with greater confidence.
Maresca’s exit also brought Wesley Fofana back into the fold for just his 11th appearance of the season, while Josh Acheampong came off the bench.
Rosenior has inherited a talented squad but one that needs to be more consistent. The trip to Selhurst Park offers a chance to embed the new manager’s methods further.
Palace’s weakened state makes this a fixture Chelsea should win, but the Blues cannot afford complacency. Their recent form has been patchy, and Rosenior will need his players focused if they are to collect three points.
Palace’s nightmare unravels
It has been a disastrous start to the year for Palace supporters. Glasner’s announcement that he will leave at the end of the season felt like a betrayal, particularly given how he insisted on keeping Guehi when Liverpool came calling last summer. Now he is being linked with Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur while the club he manages collapses around him.
Palace sit 13th after 22 matches, but failed to defend their FA Cup, exiting embarrassingly. The cup defeat to Macclesfield Town shocked supporters and exposed deeper problems. Palace followed that humiliation with a loss at Sunderland, where the Black Cats were commanding at the Stadium of Light and made the Eagles suffer for long spells.
Home form has provided no relief. In their last three outings at Selhurst Park, Palace collected two draws and one loss, scoring once and conceding twice.
Injuries have played a significant role in the sharp drop in form. Daichi Kamada has been out since early December, and as many as 11 players have been unavailable in recent matches. Glasner has seen his squad heavily depleted at precisely the moment he needs depth most.
Team news
Chelsea have several players working their way back to fitness. Romeo Lavia is recovering from a thigh injury and could return to the matchday squad sooner rather than later. Levi Colwill is still rehabilitating from an ACL injury and will miss most of the season. Marc Cucurella is serving a suspension following his red card and will only return after matchday 24.
Palace’s injury crisis continues to worsen. Multiple key players remain unavailable, and Glasner has struggled to field a consistent starting lineup. The lack of continuity has disrupted their defensive shape and undermined their attacking rhythm.
Key betting markets
Chelsea to score looks solid. The Blues are the Premier League’s highest scorers away from home and have netted in three consecutive road matches. This is a side that travels well, and the away-team goals market reflects their consistency in front of goal.
Palace under 1.5 goals is hard to ignore. Palace have scored the fewest home goals in the league and have not managed two or more at Selhurst Park in six matches. Their attacking struggles make the under-goals line on the hosts one of the safest bets available.
Both teams to score represents a split market. Chelsea almost always contribute away from home, but Palace rarely do at Selhurst Park. That clash of trends makes BTTS one of the tightest markets of the match, though the balance slightly edges a Chelsea win to nil.
Prediction
Chelsea should edge this fixture. Glasner needs to use the occasion to motivate and inject renewed energy into his players, as a victory could provide the turning point for a positive run. However, the Blues have shown their quality on the road, and Rosenior has too much to lose.
Both sides arrive short on confidence, with just one win between them across their last five matches. Neither has shown the cutting edge to take control of games consistently, which could produce a tight, low-tempo contest. A cagey score draw feels possible, but Chelsea’s superior firepower should prove decisive.
Palace will defend deep and try to frustrate Chelsea for long periods, but their lack of attacking threat means they will struggle to take chances.
If Rosenior’s side maintains focus and avoid complacency, three points are within reach.
Full-time: Crystal Palace 1-2 Chelsea
