Chelsea vs. Crystal Palace: Predicted Lineups, Players to Watch, Stream, TV Info
Chelsea face Crystal Palace at Stamford Bridge this weekend. Just like the last time Jose Mourinho's men entertained the Eagles, this London derby comes with a sense of occasion about it.
Palace were last in west London in May, losing 1-0 to Chelsea, who sealed the Premier League title as well as three points that afternoon.
Four months on, Palace's visit marks Mourinho's 100th home league game in charge of Chelsea.
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That's a landmark in itself, but the fact Mourinho has lost just one of his 99 previous games in charge reminds us of just how influential he has been at Chelsea.
Those previous 99 games have racked up 250 points across his two spells as Chelsea boss, making Mourinho English football's most prolific manager in that time.
In his first 99 games, Sir Alex Ferguson could only manage 236 points at Manchester United.
So how does Mourinho feel about it all?
"I'm proud of the record, but I don't think it has an influence on the future," he said on Friday.
"I know it's not normal. 99 matches in the Premier League is not 99 matches in a small league. It's 99 matches in the most competitive league. One defeat and a defeat could have happened in so many matches where we were lucky to get a result."
It's defeat that Mourinho and his players will need to avoid against Palace, whether by skill or luck. In fact, given their slow start to 2015/16, Chelsea can't settle for anything less than taking all three.
That will give the champions some momentum heading into the international break, ending the month far more positively than they did.
Given their recent activity in the transfer window—especially with the arrival of Pedro—there's a sense of the mood changing around Chelsea, with the team beginning to return to something resembling what we saw last term.
Mourinho is beginning to sound like a manager who is focused again, too.
"If I don't win [against Palace], I don't get a good memory of 100 matches," Mourinho continued. "It's important to win."
Since Palace's trip to Stamford Bridge in May, the club has strengthened significantly with the addition of Yohan Cabaye in midfield, and Mourinho is wary of them as opponents.
"Last season they were good," said the Chelsea boss. "This season I think they are better and a London derby is always a London derby.
"For them, Stamford Bridge is always a huge motivation and I think they have nothing to lose."
Chelsea do, so it promises to be a fine occasion.
Match details
Date: Saturday, August 29
Time: 3 p.m. BST/10 a.m. ET
TV Info: NBCSN (U.S. only)
Live Stream: NBCSN Live Extra (U.S. only)
Last 5 games
It's not often they get to say this, but after two wins in their opening three Premier League games, Crystal Palace are above Chelsea in the table heading into this encounter at Stamford Bridge.
Of course, being so early into the season, it would be folly to suggest it reflects any superiority in the long term. That said, Palace are in good form and will be feeling confident of taking something from Chelsea.
Meanwhile, the champions got their first win of the season last week against West Bromwich Albion.
| August 2 | Arsenal 1-0 Chelsea |
| August 5 | Chelsea 0-1 Fiorentina |
| August 8 | Chelsea 2-2 Swansea City |
| August 16 | Manchester City 3-0 Chelsea |
| August 23 | West Brom 2-3 Chelsea |
| August 3 | Dagenham & Redbridge 1-0 Crystal Palace |
| August 8 | Norwich City 1-3 Crystal Palace |
| August 16 | Crystal Palace 1-2 Arsenal |
| August 22 | Crystal Palace 2-1 Aston Villa |
| August 25 | Crystal Palace 4-1 Shrewsbury Town (AET) |
Predicted lineups
John Terry will serve his one-match ban for picking up a red card at the Hawthorns last weekend, which means Gary Cahill and Kurt Zouma will start in central defence.
We can expect Pedro on the right side of midfield after his excellent debut showing, while Victor Moses and Oscar are both doubts after recent injuries.
As for Palace, they have a long injury list that includes Mile Jedinak, Connor Wickham and Julian Speroni.
On-loan striker Patrick Bamford will miss out as he is ineligible to face parent club Chelsea.
Players to watch
Pedro
Talk about arriving with a bang! Pedro scored and picked up an assist on Chelsea debut last week, making him the man of the moment where Chelsea are concerned.
Set to make his home debut on Saturday, all eyes will be on the Spaniard to put in a repeat performance.
After just one display, it's already clear what Pedro can offer Chelsea in attack and how he is going to improve things going forward, where Mourinho's side hasn't been as strong as he would have liked.
If Palace pay Pedro too much attention, it will take the focus off Eden Hazard, too, which is always a danger.
Yohan Cabaye
Most Premier League defences know the threat the Frenchman carries, and he'll be difficult to contain at Stamford Bridge.
He's a classy operator, with excellent vision to pick out team-mates and spot danger in the opposition half. Cabaye's presence gives Palace something very different to what we're used to, and it means we can expect them to play more football, rather than sitting back and seeing what they can get.
Cabaye will create chances for Palace, so it's down to their front men to be enough of a threat to convert them.
Prediction
Chelsea 3-1 Crystal Palace
Odds
Home win: -275
Away win: +1000
Draw: +425
First goalscorer: Pedro (11-2)
*Home/Away win and draw odds via Odds Shark, goalscoring odds via OddsChecker.
Garry Hayes is Bleacher Report's lead Chelsea correspondent. All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter @garryhayes.
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