Chelsea v Crystal Palace predictions: A narrow win expected for the Blues

Chelsea return to Premier League action this weekend with the visit of Crystal Palace. Can the Blues get this home stretch off to a winning start?

The Premier League is back! And thank the lord for it. Chelsea have a ten point lead at the top of the table and will be hoping to start this final stretch of games positively. Relegation-threatened Crystal Palace are the visitors and they will certainly put up a fight. Here are the predictions from the POL staff!

Travis Tyler: 2-1. International breaks are the worst and fitness is going to keep Chelsea from performing at their best. Palace will score first on a counter and Chelsea will just edge them out with the help of two substitute goals.

Scott Brant: 2-1. These international breaks are a pain in the rear. Coming off a break always invites some sloppiness and rust. The Blues will go up early only to relax and let Palace back into the match. Late winner from anybody not named Diego gets the Blues the much needed 3 points.

Andre Carlisle: 2-1, Crystal Palace. This international break gave the dark arts some time to visit Uncle Beelzebub and Aunt Persephone. It was good to catch up. Before leaving we ensured that key central figures in two of our three lines, David Luiz and Eden Hazard, got two weeks of rest. That should be enough to handle a team with just four away wins. Hazard tempts Real Madrid by scoring something sumptuous and David Luiz provides a 40-yard assist for Diego’s 18th, 2-0 Chelsea.

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Rayna Sidhu: 2-0. The players worked hard during the international break but will know that Antonio Conte won’t accept any laziness in the first game back. Hazard is likely to be fit and has been well-rested – no excuses for him not to be at his best. He’ll get both goals to prove a point before he signs his new contract with the Blues. Palace won’t cause any significant problems.

Barrett Rouen: Shame for Palace but another nail gets hit into the coffin this week. Chelsea are in too good a place physically and mentally. The early exchanges will be heated with Palace trying to get under their skin. When the match opens up Chelsea get comfortable. Good win.

What are your predictions? Let us know below or on Twitter!

Here is the table. There are five points for nailing the score, or three for just the right result.