Venue: Stamford Bridge
Date: Saturday, 29 August
Kick-off: 15:00 BST
Today is Jose Mourinho’s 100th Premier League home game in charge of Chelsea. He’s won 76 and lost just one of the previous 99, bizarre that he’s questioned quite so stringently the minute we drop points – he’s lost the grand total of one game at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League!
On to today’s game though, and it will be another tough one. However much Pardew bigs us up before games, he knows he does ok against us. Both games last season were narrow wins and we’ve yet to find any rhythm this season. Add to that Palace’s away record and we could be in for another scrap.
MANAGER’S VIEWS
Going into today’s game, Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho says ”
Crystal Palace manager Alan Pardew meanwhile, says “We performed almost to our maximum last year and still got beat, so we need to be at our best to stand a chance of winning. We’ve won three out of four. So we’re in great shape going into the game. But they have a side that looks to be better than last year, and that side won the league. Chelsea aren’t quite in the groove they were when we played them last time – and neither are we. They were really at their best, and we were really in form, but it’s so early on, so both teams won’t be at the highest level yet. We haven’t been as fluent as I’d like, but we’ve been exciting and we’ve had some great moments, and we’ve got players who can change a game at any moment.”
SQUAD NEWS
For Chelsea, Oscar and Victor Moses are doubtful, whilst John Terry is the latest player on the naughty step so it looks like a return for Gary Cahill alongside Kurt Zouma. Baba Rahman isn’t fit enough for a start yet.
For Palace, Mile Jedinak (hamstring) is out but Yannick Bolasie should play a part.
TEAMS
CHELSEA (Possible line-up): Courtois, Ivanovic, Cahill, Zouma, Azpilicueta, Matic, Fabregas, Pedro, Willian, Hazard, Costa.
CRYSTAL PALACE: McCarthy, Ward, Delaney, Dann, Souare, McArthur, Cabaye, Puncheon, Sako, Bolasie, Murray.
LAST SEASON
Chelsea 1-0 Crystal Palace (3rd May 2015)
RECENT FORM
Chelsea: DLW
Crystal Palace: WLWW
OTHER STUFF
~ Chelsea have won 9 and lost 1 of 12 Premier League meetings with Palace.
~ Pardew has won 4 of his last 7 Premier League games against Chelsea
~ Chelsea have scored 199 goals at Stamford Bridge in Premier League London derbies
~ Palace have won 7 from 9 away in the Premier League under Pardew
~ No team has won more points than Palace away from home in the Premier League in 2015
~ Palace have conceded one goal in each of their last 7 Premier League away games.
~ Chelsea have conceded 7 so far this season
~ Chelsea have lost just one of the last 15 league meetings
~ Chelsea are without a clean sheet in six league games
PREDICTION
Put it this way, Pardew probably feels more confident about today’s game than I do.