Crystal Palace vs Chelsea - Competition: Premier League
Crystal Palace
team have settled in nicely under new manager Neil Warnock. After dropping
their first 2 Premier League contests, they strung off 4 straight
unbeaten in league play that saw them accumulate all 8 of their points
in the new campaign. Signature wins over that stretch included a 3:2
defeat of Everton and a 2:0 home victory over Leicester. However, a
return to inconsistent ways just before the international break saw
them defeated at the KC Stadium by Hull City 2:0, and Warnock knows his
troops must avoid similar slip-ups if they hope to emulate the success
of last season. They’ll take encouragement from the fact they’ve only lost 1 of their last 4 English Premier League home games,
and with Jason Puncheon looking dangerous per usual on the wing, an
upset here is an entirely realistic possibility. However, the visitors
are in rare form at the moment, and it would take a monumental effort
dashed with a bit of luck for the hosts to pull off the improbable this
weekend.
Chelsea have seen just one blip on their schedule this season in the Premier League,
although a 1:1 draw to Man City will be taken as a plus by
manager Jose Mourinho. They’ve now taken 19 points from a possible 21,
and with a 5-point lead on 2nd place already, the title race could be
over before Christmas even arrives. A 2:0 victory over London rivals
Arsenal FC last time out solidified their position at the pinnacle of
England football, and while that match was anything but straightforward,
the Blues will take confidence from their clean sheet against such a
quality opponent. Diego Costa netted the second goal in that match to seal the outcome, and the Spanish hit-man now has an astonishing 9 goals from just 7 league matches.
He has quickly answered questions over how he would adjust to the
rigors of the Premier League, but form is fleeting in football and he
must stay focused. A short trip to South London and Selhurst Park isn’t
always a kind fixture, but the visitors should be bagging all 3 points
irregardless.
Crystal Palace last 5 matches:
13/09/14 Crystal Palace 0 – 0 Burnley21/09/14 Everton 2 – 3 Crystal Palace
24/09/14 Crystal Palace 2 – 3 E Newcastle
27/09/14 Crystal Palace 2 – 0 Leicester City
04/10/14 Hull City 2 – 0 Crystal Palace
Chelsea last 5 matches:
21/09/14 Manchester City 1 – 1 Chelsea24/09/14 Chelsea 2 – 1 Bolton Wanderers
27/09/14 Chelsea 3 – 0 Aston Villa
30/09/14 Sporting 0 – 1 Chelsea
05/10/14 Chelsea 2 – 0 Arsenal
Match date: Saturday, 18 October 2014
Kick Off Time: 15:00 BST -
Venue: Selhurst Park, London, United Kingdom
Kick Off Time: 15:00 BST -
Venue: Selhurst Park, London, United Kingdom
