Chelsea get their 2025-26 Premier League campaign underway with a London derby against Crystal Palace at Stamford Bridge on Sunday 17th August at 2pm. The Blues finished fourth last season, securing a return to the Champions League, while Crystal Palace ended the campaign 12th. This game will be broadcast live in the UK on Sky Sports Premier League.
Draw and BTTS (7/2 with Sky Bet)
Both games between these two sides last season were drawn. The past four games have also seen both teams find the net. This should be another close contest on the opening weekend of the season with Crystal Palace still riding high following their FA Cup and Community Shield victories.
Chelsea have strengthened over the summer but the new players within the squad could take time to gel and that could lead to them failing to find all three points this early on.
Highest scoring half: 2nd (11/10 with Sky Bet)
The past 10 games between these two sides across all competitions have seen 26 goals scored, with 14 of those coming after half-time in the matches. Neither team will want to give much away in the early stages and this could lead to the game becoming a tense affair as things progress. We’re anticipating the game opening up in the second half and the price of 11/10 looks to be an enticing one.
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How both teams go into Chelsea vs Crystal Palace
Chelsea won’t have had much rest going into the 2025-26 campaign, having reached the Club World Cup final. But they’ll want to hit the ground running as they look to become Champions League regulars once again. There was a point last season when the Blues looked to be title challengers, but they eventually fell away. And they had a fight to secure a top-four finish, securing it on the final day.
Stamford Bridge looked more like a fortress last season, with the Blues losing just two of their 19 home games. They won 12 of those matches, including eight of their final 10. But Crystal Palace were one of the seven teams to take points away from Stamford Bridge.
Last season was all about the FA Cup for Crystal Palace, and it’s a campaign that will go down in history. Now they’ll want to climb the Premier League table. The Eagles finished 12th in the league, a position that is a running joke among Crystal Palace fans. It was the 10th time in their 12 seasons since promotion that Crystal Palace have finished in the bottom half of the table.
Crystal Palace started last season in horrific form on the road, winless in their opening six away games. But they ended it with a commendable record. The Eagles won seven of their 19 away games overall, alongside seven draws and five defeats. In fact, they won three more points away than they did at Selhurst Park last season.
Chelsea team news
Nicolas Jackson will serve the final game of his three-match ban having been sent off against Newcastle United towards the end of last season. Chelsea will hope to have Wesley Fofana back in their squad but it’s touch and go for the centre back. Levi Colwill saw his season come to an end before it started with an ACL injury.
Crystal Palace team news
Adam Wharton came through the Community Shield and will be available for Oliver Glasner. Chadi Riad isn’t expected to return any time soon.
Chelsea vs Crystal Palace head-to-head
Chelsea are unbeaten in their past 16 games against Crystal Palace across all competitions. But both meetings last season finished level.
| Date | Score | Competition |
|---|---|---|
| 04/01/25 | Crystal Palace 1-1 Chelsea | Premier League |
| 01/09/24 | Chelsea 1-1 Crystal Palace | Premier League |
| 12/02/24 | Crystal Palace 1-3 Chelsea | Premier League |
| 27/12/23 | Chelsea 2-1 Crystal Palace | Premier League |
| 15/01/23 | Chelsea 1-0 Crystal Palace | Premier League |