Chelsea posted three points last week, but they didn’t exactly look like title winners in the process. John Terry picked up a red card, hindering his team as they limped to a 3-2 victory over West Bromwich Albion. They’ll expect much better on Saturday, at home against Crystal Palace.
Chelsea vs. Crystal Palace 2015 streaming: Time, TV schedule and how to watch online
Expect the Blues to win and get their season on course.
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Between their solid second half last season and their summer transfer moves, Palace were expected to finish top half this season. They appear to be well on their way to achieving that, having won two of their first three, with the lone loss being a narrow one in a solid performance against Arsenal. Those results have them in sixth at the moment, but they’re significant underdogs against Chelsea, even with the Blues playing poorly so far.
So far this season, Palace have gotten the most out of Wilfried Zaha and new signing Yohan Cabaye. Those two will have to be at their best again in this match.
Can Chelsea reverse their bad run of form?
Even though they won their last game, it’s undeniable that Chelsea haven’t found their form yet. Once they went down to 10 men, they looked like they were going to fall apart against a poor West Brom side and did well to hang on. They’ll need the good versions of Branislav Ivanovic, Cesc Fabregas and Nemanja Matic to finally show up, while Kurt Zouma has a tough job deputizing for Terry.
Upset potential -- Low to moderate
Early games against Swansea and West Brom indicate that Chelsea are pretty hard to beat, even when they’re at their worst. No one expected them to play this poorly to start the year, but they still have four points from their two games against non-title contenders. They should be able to scrape by Palace at home.
Chelsea injuries and suspensions
Out: John Terry (suspended). In doubt: Oscar (knock), Victor Moses (knock).
Crystal Palace injuries and suspensions
Out: Mile Jedinak (hamstring), Frazier Campbell (hamstring), Julian Speroni (hand), Kwesi Appiah (knee), Marouane Chamakh (hamstring). In doubt: Connor Wickham (rib).
Match date/time: Saturday, 10 a.m. ET, 3 p.m. local
Venue: Stamford Bridge, London
TV: USA (U.S.), TSN1 (Canada)
Online: NBC Sports Live Extra (U.S.), TSN (Canada)
Listings for other countries at LiveSoccerTV.
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