Month: October 2017

Chelsea face a tough trip to Rome on Tuesday night in the Champions League. After playing out a draw at home to the Serie A side from the Italian capital, the Blues head for Italy, as Antonio Conte returns to his home country. Will he make as big an impression there as he did in the Spanish capital earlier in this group? With Roma seriously pushing for a top two finish, this group is heading down to the wire, and that should have both sides nervy ahead of this huge clash. With the Blues not in the greatest form in the league, they can’t afford a slip up in Europe.

It’s easy to bemoan the position Chelsea are in following that 3-3 draw with Roma. They were 2-0 up and cruising, set to go seven points clear of Atletico Madrid, and five ahead of Roma. Chelsea now lead the Italians by two points, and the worst case scenario here is a loss to the hosts coupled with Atletico Madrid seeing off minnows Qarabag. That would leave Antonio Conte’s team in a tricky position heading into the final two games, and that would leave this group open for any of those three European heavyweights. There’s so much riding on this one, so the Blues need another big display.

Team News: Conte out to Avoid any Defensive Scares

The return of Danny Drinkwater is a boost for Chelsea, after he started the EFL Cup win over Everton. With N’Golo Kante back in the frame, Conte has midfield options once again. That boosts his potential use of the 3-5-2 formation, as seen against Tottenham, Man City and Atletico Madrid this term. We’re likely to see that team once again, as the manager looks for a more solid set-up to the one which conceded three at home to Roma in the last meeting. That’s a smart move to make with so much on the line in this game, and we expect to see the former Leicester central midfield line-up working together for the Blues in the near future. However, this game might come a little too soon for that.

Roma’s big injury concern here is midfielder Rick Karsdorp, who misses out after injuring his knee. Having just moved to the club in the summer, the defender hasn’t really had the chance to shine for his new employers. Despite that, he would have been a solid figure for Roma to call upon, and now they have more defensive concerns to worry about ahead of this crucial tie. Expect a similar side to the one which held off Atletico Madrid in their group opener, which set the Italians up for a solid campaign in this competition.

Roma Form

Roma have seemingly been preparing for this game with some tight matches, having given up attacking sides who tend to defend poorly. They beat Torino and Crotone by an aggregate score of 2-0, with those two sides conceding their fair share of goals over recent months. However, Roma were solid in both, grinding out much needed victories. Will that be the case once again on Tuesday night?

Roma have been solid in Serie A this season, while their Champions League form has been an odd mix. They started off with a 0-0 at home to Atletico, a genuinely tight game with really high stakes. They followed that up by looking poor at the back against Qarabag away, before that clash with Chelsea. Eusebio Di Francesco will be hoping for a better performance when his side return home in Europe.

Roma v Chelsea Head to Head

Roma have now scored three in both of their last two meetings with Chelsea, although those matches were separated by nine years, and many, many Chelsea mangers. It remains to be seen just how much of an impact their 3-3 draw will have on this game, but the two managers probably have to just start fresh and try and be more solid here.

• Chelsea 3-3 Roma, Oct 2017
• Roma 3-1 Chelsea, Nov 2008
• Chelsea 1-0 Roma, Oct 2008

Betting Tips

• Under 2.5 Goals – 5/4 with BetVictor
• 0-0 Draw – 13/1 with Betfair

Despite throwing away two points in the first meeting, Chelsea come into this trip as marginal favourites. They’ve been priced up at 13/8 with Bet365 to claim the win. Roma are 17/11 with Ladbrokes. With the draw sitting at 12/5 with Betfred, it’s clear that the bookmakers are a tad confused by this one. Just how the two sides approach it will clearly have an impact on matters, but will we see another high scoring tie? The two sides will both be pushing for a place in the knockout round, but could that have an adverse effect on the match overall?

Roma did have a cagey opener with Atletico, and we can see them reverting to that form in this game. While the last meeting was a six goal thriller, you have to wonder how Roma would have approached it if they were level at half-time. They didn’t do anything to deserve to be 2-0 down in that clash, and they only really opened up because they had to. They were welcomed in with open arms by the Blues’ backline, with a shambolic defensive display that can’t happen again.

You have to ask if the game gets on a bit, will there be another 0-0 on the cards for Roma? They’ve been playing with more restrictions in the league of late, and we expect Conte to instruct his men to keep things tight against them. We’re backing under 2.5 goals in this game, which looks like solid value at 5/4 with BetVictor. We’re also liking the look of a 0-0 draw between the two sides, which can be backed at 13/1 with Betfair. With so much on the line, a really low scoring tie seems likely in our book.

Chelsea are back in the top four in the Premier League, and they’ll want to hang on to that when they travel south on Saturday evening. The Blues head to Bournemouth this weekend, a ground where they have a perfect record in Premier League matches. Having seen off an impressive Watford side at the weekend, the Blues will be hoping for another three points to keep their season on track. However, in order to do that they’ll need to improve on last weekend’s showing.

The champions need to fix their issues, with many trying to compare this season to their dismal time under Jose Mourinho in 2015. That title defence was rocky from the outset, but it’s hard to draw too many comparisons. After all, but Blues are only three points worse off this time around than they were at this stage last season. They were fourth at this stage last term too, with Manchester City leading the way at the top. Plenty changed over the following 29 matches, could the same happen this season?

Team News: Could Watford Win Lead to Formation Change?

The Blues had success after making changes against Watford, which involved getting Pedro, Willian and Eden Hazard on the pitch together. The Blues could try and find a way of including those three behind Alvaro Morata here to switch things up, but that would involve a 4-2-3-1 or 4-4-2 with Hazard playing centrally. It would be a big change from Conte from the start, but he’ll want to get the Belgian as involved in the game as possible. The Blues are going to be without N’Golo Kante and Danny Drinkwater once again this weekend, which leaves Cesc Fabregas and Tiemoue Bakayoko as the only two options in central midfield.

Bournemouth aren’t likely to make many changes after picking up a vital three points on Saturday. Having seen off Stoke at the Bet365 Arena, it’s hard to see Eddie Howe going out of his way to make changes for this one. He may be tempted to add a little more resilience to his side ahead of a clash with the defending champions, especially after the Blues scored four times without playing well on Saturday. Two notable names who are likely to start in this one are former Blues Asmir Begovic and Nathan Ake. The pair left Stamford Bridge for the south coast in the summer, and now they’re set to face off with their former side.

Bournemouth Form

The Cherries are struggling at home of late, with just one home win in their last four matches. A victory at Stoke on Saturday failed to take the Cherries out of the drop zone, and they’re left in the bottom two. There’s no pressure on Eddie Howe despite their strong start, he has even been linked with the Everton job following Ronald Koeman’s departure.

The Cherries have lost six of their nine matches overall, which would be cause for panic for most sides. Only Crystal Palace’s dismal start has prevented the Cherries from sitting bottom, so Chelsea should be able to take advantage of Howe’s side. While the club should stabilise over the coming weeks, there are serious issues for Bournemouth to deal with right now.

Bournemouth v Chelsea Head to Head

Chelsea have won the last three meetings between these two sides, following a shock 1-0 loss to the Cherries at Stamford Bridge in 2015. That was part of their awful title defence, which must raise alarm bells ahead of this clash. Given the rate that the Blues are conceding goals, they are likely to slip up to this Bournemouth attack once again.

• Bournemouth 1-3 Chelsea, Apr 2017
• Chelsea 3-0 Bournemouth, Dec 2016
• Bournemouth 1-4 Chelsea, Apr 2016
• Chelsea 0-1 Bournemouth, Dec 2015

Betting Tips

• Over 2.5 goals – 7/10 with BetVictor
• Eden Hazard to score anytime – 17/10 with Betfair

Chelsea come in to this game at 4/7 with Bet365 to take all three points and they are worthy favourites. That said, they should be slightly longer given their recent struggles, which could affect them in this trip. The draw here can be backed at 3/1 with Ladbrokes, while Bournemouth are out at 9/2 with Betfred for the points. Can the Cherries cause an upset at the Vitality, or will the Blues build on their win over Watford? Conte can’t really afford another slip up here, which would mean they’ve lost to both of the current bottom two. That would be a real blow to their title defence.

Chelsea’s recent defensive issues could give Bournemouth a chance here, and that’s exactly why we’re avoiding siding with the Blues in the match betting. The champions have made too many sloppy errors at the back, which should see Bournemouth get a goal here. The Cherries have scored in three of their four meetings with Chelsea, including both their clashes at the Vitality. However, the Blues have won 7-2 here on aggregate in their two trips, so we expect to see plenty of goals in this game. We’re backing over 2.5 goals in this clash, which has landed in every Chelsea away game this season. It looks like great value at 7/10 with BetVictor.

While the late fightback against Watford saw plenty of Chelsea players come out with credit, one man who didn’t was Hazard. The Belgian did get an early assist, but he was left out of the late fightback for the most part. He should get a chance to make up for that this weekend, given that he tends to enjoy playing against Bournemouth. The Cherries haven’t got the best record against the Belgian winger, conceding four goals in their last three meetings with him. With the possibility of Hazard moving into a central role, we are backing him to score any time at 17/10 with Betfair.

Chelsea return to EFL Cup action on Wednesday night, as the Blues look to wrap up a place in the quarter-finals. This is a competition that Antonio Conte’s side crashed out of early last season, but can they hang in and try to claim League Cup glory? While this will be bottom of Chelsea’s list of priorities, there’s still silverware on the line, and it’s a competition in which the Blues have been successful over the last few years. The champions have a big test to make the next round, as they host Everton.

The Toffees started this season as one of the dark horses for silverware, after a big spending summer at Goodison. Things haven’t been going so well for them lately, but they still have a strong squad and plenty of talent to choose from in this game. The Toffees have enough quality to cause problems at Stamford Bridge, but can under-fire boss Ronald Koeman get them into the next round of the cup?

Team News: Conte Expected to Make Sweeping cup Changes

Chelsea have almost always made big changes in cup games. The FA Cup run last season was built on a second string side, even in the semis Eden Hazard and Diego Costa started on the bench. The EFL Cup isn’t a competition that’s worth risking the likes of Alvaro Morata in, so we expect an almost entirely different 11 where possible here. Michy Batshuayi should get a start, while there could be room to test a few youngsters against Premier League opposition. Charly Musonda would have been a contender to start, but his recent Instagram rant could see him left out of the side for this one.

Everton’s dismal results in the league and Europe recently mean that they should take this game seriously. We could see Wayne Rooney brought into the team, given that he has a decent record at Stamford Bridge in his career. Overall, the Toffees are struggling for pace in their side, but Ronald Koeman seems reluctant to start any of their younger players. Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Oumar Niasse were the two scorers in the last round for Everton, and they’re both in contention to start this trip.

Everton Form

Everton come into this game in awful form, and they’re on the verge of an early exit in Europe. Their defeat at home to Lyon leaves them with one point from their opening three group matches in the Europa League. That loss to Lyon was the 10th time in 12 matches that the Toffees have failed to win, with their only clean sheet in that run coming in this competition against Championship side Sunderland. Can they improve on their recent run at the home of the champions?

It’s hard to make a case for the Toffees here, given that they’ve failed to win their last six away games. Their only victory on the road this term came at Ruzomberok in the Europa League, and that was almost three months ago. Ending that wait is going to be difficult for the Toffees, who have lost seven of their last nine meetings with top six sides. They’ve not got a lot of hope coming in to this one, they’re just going to have to rely on an understrength Chelsea side failing to click here.

Chelsea v Everton Head to Head

Everton had a decent run of form against Chelsea, until Antonio Conte arrived at the Bridge. The Blues have since won three meetings with Everton, scoring 10 and conceding none. The champions already have a result against the Toffees this term, having won 2-0 at Stamford Bridge at the end of August. Will they be able to secure another home win this week and move in to the quarter-finals of the cup?

• Chelsea 2-0 Everton, Aug 2017
• Everton 0-3 Chelsea, Apr 2017
• Chelsea 5-0 Everton, Nov 2016
• Everton 2-0 Chelsea, Mar 2016
• Chelsea 3-3 Everton, Jan 2016

Betting Tips

• Both teams to score – 10/11 with Bet365
• Over 2.5 Chelsea goals – 6/4 with Coral

Chelsea are widely expected to make it through, as they’re 2/5 favourites with BetVictor for this game. They’ve surely benefited from Everton’s poor form, which has the Toffees out at 7/1 with Ladbrokes for the points. Meanwhile, the draw here can be backed at 39/10 with Betfair, so obviously few are expecting this to be a long night. There’s not a huge amount of value in backing the home win at that price, especially when there’s going to be a huge number of changes being make by Antonio Conte. However, we believe we have found value elsewhere here by looking towards the goal markets.

The hosts have been far from solid at the back in recent weeks, and their second string side are likely to suffer the same kinds of issues. The Blues have played two home League Cup games under Conte, which have seen them concede three against Bristol City and Nottingham Forest. All four of their matches in this competition under Conte have seen both teams score, so we’re backing that as our main tip for this game at 10/11 with Bet365. While the visitors are struggling for results, they should have enough quality up front to take advantage of a changed Chelsea defence.

We’re also backing Chelsea to grab a few goals here, with over 2.5 for the hosts priced at 6/4 with Coral. The Blues have Michy Batshuayi in impressive form when he gets a chance outside of the Premier League, after he hit a hat-trick in the last round. With genuine squad depth now, the Blues should have a strong attack on show against Everton, and we can see them racking up a few goals against a side who are in awful form. That makes us think that over 2.5 goals from the home side is the best value bet here.

Chelsea suffered yet another setback as they threw away two points at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night. The Blues went from 2-0 up against Roma to 3-2 down in a crucial Champions League tie. They ultimately drew 3-3, which is still not a great return for the champions. Having dropped points to Manchester City and Crystal Palace in the league, that display has left fans somewhat unsettled. It’s been a tough couple of weeks for Antonio Conte’s team, with the manager clearly showing that these performances have got to him in his post-match press conferences.

Facing Watford is a tough test for a Chelsea side who are well below par, with the Hornets impressing under Marco Silva. The Portuguese boss has taken the Vicarage Road side in to the top four, and they currently set a place above Chelsea in the table. Having beaten Arsenal last weekend, Watford are going to be out for another scalp on Saturday. The question is, will they go out and push the Chelsea defence, or try to frustrate the hosts? Regardless of how they approach this game, there’s certainly a chance for the visitors to take advantage of Conte’s selection woes and his side’s current slump.

Team News: Defensive Concerns Leave Conte with a Puzzle

Chelsea are very clearly missing N’Golo Kante in midfield, his injury over the international break has led to two poor defensive displays. He’s such a unique player that he’s difficult to replace, with Conte playing David Luiz and Tiemoue Bakayoko in front of the defence against Roma. That system worked a treat with Kante and Bakayoko giving Cesc Fabregas support in the three man midfield, but his absence has been telling. The bad news for the Blues is that he’s missing here once again, leaving a big gap for Conte to fill. On the bright side, he finally has Eden Hazard and Alvaro Morata fit to start together, which could be a very fruitful partnership.

Watford have leapt into the European spots thanks to some impressive squad depth, which marks them out from most of the league. They have so many options now that Troy Deeney has been relegated from indispensable captain to a man on the fringes, vying for a starting spot. As a result, predicting their team is tough. They are missing former Chelsea man Nathaniel Chalobah, who is suffering from a long-term injury after impressing in the early stages of his Watford career.

Watford Form

Watford’s only defeat of the season was a big one, as they lost 6-0 at home to Manchester City. Apart from that hammering they’ve been in great form, which has lifted them in to the Champions League places. Strangely, they’ve won four, drew three and lost two of their last nine matches, losing both of those to City by an 11-0 margin. Aside from those heavy losses, the Hornets have really impressed, having taken 10 points from four away trips so far.

Watford’s 2-1 win over Arsenal last weekend helped them earn even more plaudits, and it’s a result that will worry Chelsea. The Hornets hung in when Arsenal applied pressure, and they knew that they’d eventually be able to bully the Gunners. They won’t have the same ease of access past the Chelsea defence, but we expect Marco Silva to have worked out a way to make things difficult for the champions’ back four.

Chelsea v Watford Head to Head

Recent meetings between these two at Stamford Bridge have been high scoring, and this game could well go the same way. Watford have little reason to show fear, and going on the attack at Chelsea has brought them five goals in two trips, compared to the one point from two defensively minded meetings at Vicarage Road. If Silva is looking back on the recent meetings between the pair, it might encourage him to be more offensive than he was in his visit with Hull earlier this year.

• Chelsea 4-3 Watford, May 2017
• Watford 1-2 Chelsea, Aug 2016
• Watford 0-0 Chelsea, Feb 2016
• Chelsea 2-2 Watford, Dec 2015
• Chelsea 3-0 Watford, Jan 2015

Betting Tips

• Both Teams to Score – 19/20 with Coral
• Over 3.5 Goals – 17/10 with BetVictor

Despite their recent struggles, the bookmakers have plenty of faith in Chelsea this weekend. The Blues are priced at 4/11 to take the points in this game. Despite the Blues’ problems of late, they’re 9/2 with Betfred to draw this game, while Watford are 7/1 with bet365 to claim all three points. The Hornets are priced at 27/10 with Coral to avoid defeat in this game, which we think is great value given the form of the respective sides. With Watford set to be full of confidence and with Kante out, we can’t help but see a tough game for the champions on Saturday.

With Chelsea shipping three goals at home in midweek, it’s hard to imagine them turning things around with a clean sheet here. Not all of the mistakes at the back are down to Kante’s absence, but his absence is a significant one. The champions have three clean sheets in their last 12 home league games, and after Wednesday night’s incredible game we can’t help but expect goals in this clash. We’re backing both teams to score in this game, and it looks like excellent value at 19/20 with Coral.

Watford come here having scored at least twice in their previous five Premier League away games, which shows the kind of threat they have up front. We are already expecting both teams to score, but the Hornets have scored at least twice in their last two trips to the Bridge, both of which have turned into thrilling games. Given how open Chelsea’s game with Roma ended up on Wednesday, we can see at least four goals being scored here, so we’re backing over 3.5 goals at 17/10 with BetVictor.

Chelsea have taken six points from six in the Champions League, leaving them in a great position ahead of this clash with Roma. However, their weekend loss to Crystal Palace means the Blues need a response this week, with the Italians likely to smell blood after the Premier League champions lost to the league’s worst side. There certainly are issues for Antonio Conte to deal with, chief amongst them being the absence of N’Golo Kante in midfield. Will that continue to plague him, or can the Blues get a win here?

The Palace result clearly irked Conte, as it should have done. This was a massive blow for the champions, who have already dropped enough points at home this term. That defeat means some are already talking about switching focus to the Champions League, with the Manchester clubs seemingly running away with the Premier League title. If that is the case, then Conte needs his men to claim a victory here. Losing at home to Roma would open this group up again, undoing the good work Chelsea did by claiming a win in Madrid.

Team News: Conte Likely to Race Back Morata

While Alvaro Morata had little history of being a regular starter before his move to Chelsea, he’s proving to be a key member of the side. His absence was felt against Palace on Saturday, and that’s partly why Conte is seemingly racing him back to fitness to get him in to the team this week. While that’s a risk, the Blues do need the Spanish forward fit and firing if they’re to have a strong campaign. They also need Kante, but his absence means that Tiemoue Bakayoko and Cesc Fabregas are the only two fit central midfielders once again.

Roma have quite a few issues up front ahead of this game, with Stephan El Shaarawy, Patrick Schick and Gregoire Defrel all missing out in attack. They are more hopeful over defender Rick Karsdorp and midfielder Kevin Strootman, who are both likely to return to fitness ahead of this game. Roma tried out a 4-2-3-1 formation in their clash with Napoli at the weekend, which saw Nadja Nainggolan pushed forward. That came after criticism over their 4-3-3 formation and the manager’s reluctance to divert from it. We are likely to see them revert back to a three man midfield for a clash of this magnitude.

Roma Form

Like Chelsea, Roma are sat fifth in their domestic league ahead of this game. The Blues are looking to deliver a blow to the Italian’s hopes of making the Champions League knockout round, with the Giallorossi worrying about their future place in this competition. Serie A is developing into a competitive battle for four Champions League spots this year, with Napoli, Juventus, Lazio and the two Milan clubs all in the mix. It’s not just the Premier League that has a big six, with both of these two slightly worried that they face a battle just to return to the Champions League next season. Given that both missed the group stage last year, they won’t want to miss out again.

Roma’s Champions League hopes were dealt a blow on Saturday, as they lost 1-0 to league leaders Napoli. The Giallorossi did push the high flying leaders close in that encounter, but it ultimately wasn’t enough for them to stop the Partenopei. It was quite similar to how the Blues lost at home to Man City recently, managing to subdue the flow of such an attacking side, without fully stopping them. Roma have five wins from seven in Serie A so far, after a win and a draw in this group, they do pose a threat.

Chelsea v Roma Head to Head

Chelsea’s two goals against Roma in their 2008 Champions League group were both scored by John Terry. The Blues finished behind Roma in that group, with that season ending with the controversial semi-final loss to Barcelona. That’s the only recent encounter between these two, and a rematch has been a long time coming.

• Roma 3-1 Chelsea, Nov 2008
• Chelsea 1-0 Roma, Oct 2008

Betting Tips

• Both teams to score – 8/11 with BetVictor
• Chelsea and over 3.5 goals – 16/5 with Ladbrokes

Chelsea come into this game as 4/6 favourites with Coral, despite their weekend slip. The Blues are expected to take the three points, with the draw priced at 3/1 with Bet365. You can also back an away win at 9/2 with Betfred, which shows how Roma are already being written off. Their previous form in this competition is likely to play a role in that, as is the nature of their away win in Azerbaijan. While they saw off Qarabag, that performance was far from convincing, which can be said about many of their matches under new boss Eusebio Di Francesco. Can the club from the Italian capital end those criticisms with a result in London on Wednesday?

With Roma playing well at times this season, they have a great chance of taking advantage of Chelsea’s defence. The Blues haven’t been defending well for a while now, and Conte’s insistence on playing anyone over Andreas Christensen doesn’t help that. The Blues shipped two goals to a Palace side who hadn’t scored all season, so there’s obviously some kind of issue there. Roma have a solid attack, which includes former Man City forward Edin Dzeko. We see the Blues getting at least a goal, but they’re also likely to slip up at the back. Both teams to score is our main tip at 8/11 with BetVictor.

Roma’s recent record in the Champions League isn’t great. In their away ties in their last group campaign they conceded three each at Bayer Leverkusen, Barcelona and BATE. We see them struggling at the back once again, so we’re backing Chelsea to edge a high scoring encounter. We’re going with Chelsea and over 3.5 match goals here, which is priced at 16/5 with Ladbrokes.

Chelsea return from the international break to face the bottom side in the Premier League. The Blues may have come up short against the title favourites, but they’ll expect better when they take on the team tipped for relegation. After back-to-back hammerings by the Manchester clubs, it’s hard to see Palace having that much confidence to take into this game. Will this be another straightforward win for Antonio Conte and his side?

With ambitions of retaining the Premier League title, this isn’t really a game that Chelsea can slip up in. They may be facing a Palace side who are gradually improving under Roy Hodgson, but the Eagles are making the worst start to a season in the history of the top flight. Without a point so far, or even a goal, it’s hard to see how they can possibly match up to the champions. With the league campaign getting back underway, this seems like the perfect way for Conte’s men to get the ball rolling this month, ahead of some important matches.

Team News: Blues could rotate ahead of busy week

While Chelsea are only getting back in to domestic action, they head straight into a busy fixture list. They’ve got a much bigger task on their hands than last season, when the team really only had to focus on 38 games in the league. This time around, Conte needs to shuffle his pack for three games in seven days. A crucial Champions League clash with Roma is sandwiched between their next two league games. That should give us some idea as to which competition the manager is prioritising. The Blues welcome back David Luiz from suspension, but the South American contingent could be rested after their long journey back to Cobham in midweek.

Crystal Palace have some major injury concerns here, including the absence of key man Wilfred Zaha. They are also lacking in firepower up front, with Christian Benteke and Connor Wickham both out. The fact that they’re playing Chelsea makes life even more difficult for Palace, as that rules out arguably their most impressive player so far. Chelsea loanee Ruben Loftus-Cheek has done well as a number 10, but he can’t feature against his parent club. That just makes this task much tougher for Hodgson, who has little room for manoeuvre in attack.

Crystal Palace Form

The Eagles are in terrible form coming in to this game, on the back of seven straight defeats. They’re set for a drop to the Championship after their awful start to the new campaign, as they’ve left themselves with a gap to make up after struggling for so long at he start of the campaign. To make matters worse, as said, they haven’t even managed to score a goal yet.

Palace are fighting a losing battle to stay up already, given that they’ve made such a bad start to the new season. If you include the final game of last term, they’ve now lost eight straight league matches without scoring a goal. That run has come under three managers, which makes it even more worrying. Will that form suddenly change when the Eagles host the reigning champions on Saturday? It seems unlikely to say the least.

Crystal Palace v Chelsea Head to Head

That said, Palace have previous when it comes to causing a shock against Chelsea of late. We saw that last season, as they were one of just two sides to avoid defeat at Stamford Bridge. It’s hard to think of a team who played better against Chelsea at the Bridge last term, with Palace leading early and looking dangerous throughout. However, the nature of the Palace hot seat means that they’ve made two managerial appointments since that last meeting.

• Chelsea 1-2 Crystal Palace, Apr 2017
• Crystal Palace 0-1 Chelsea, Dec 2016
• Crystal Palace 0-3 Chelsea, Jan 2016
• Chelsea 1-2 Crystal Palace, Aug 2015
• Chelsea 1-0 Crystal Palace, May 2015

Betting Tips

• Chelsea -1 handicap – 15/13 with Ladbrokes
• Chelsea to win to nil – 23/20 with BetVictor

Chelsea come in to this game priced at 4/11 with Betfred to take the points, which shows just how much Palace are struggling. The hosts are priced at 8/1 with Bet365 to claim a win, while the draw is available at 19/5 with BetVictor. Given how poorly Palace are playing, you have to say that Chelsea don’t look that short for the points in this one. There’s a huge gulf between them at the moment, and that isn’t really reflected in the prices. However, we think there are much better value bets for this weekend’s clash than backing the straightforward Chelsea win.

Not only are Palace being beaten, but they’re being blown away by most sides they come up against. A 9-0 aggregate defeat in their trips to Manchester shows how poor they’ve been against the best in the league, while losses to Swansea, Burnley and Southampton of late have seen them cut adrift. The Eagles aren’t matching up to the sides around them, so how on earth do they expect to compete with the top sides in the league? Facing Chelsea is likely to be beyond them on current form, so we’re backing a comfortable away win. Chelsea with a -1 handicap is our tip here, at 15/13 with Ladbrokes.

We’re also going for an away win to nil, which is priced at 23/20 with BetVictor. Given that Palace are yet to score a league goal this season, we think that represents serious value. The Eagles are looking really short up front in terms of personnel, but their poor scoring run started with the big names in the team. They’re clearly not creating enough chances, and there’s also a lack of quality up front to score when they do. We think it’s worth backing the Blues to keep a clean sheet in this trip, meaning a ninth straight blank for Palace.