Chelsea at Crystal Palace: Premier League gambling guide

Saturday will be the first Premier League match that Chelsea has taken part in since January 23, as numerous different cup competitions have filled the fixture list over the past few weeks. The Blues have been successful, but not dominant, during this run, which has alarmed some supporters due to the perceived relative weakness of the team’s opponents. Returning to form in the English top flight will be no easy task. Nevertheless, it’s something Chelsea must achieve if it is to stay ahead of the pack that finds itself in the midst of a top four race.

The reintroduction of Premier League football is fantastic for gambling Blues supporters, as the bookmakers tend to predict more evenly-matched contests and give a deserved level of respect to every club. The odds on moneyline victories for Chelsea won’t be as one-sided as they were against teams like Plymouth Argyle, Al Hilal and Palmeiras in recent weeks, so there will be more opportunities to find value in both straight up bets and parlays.

Here is your gambling guide for the contest between Chelsea and Crystal Palace

The Blues’ league form was nothing to write home about during January, with the newly-crowned world champions collecting five of a possible 12 points while falling securely into third place behind Manchester City and Liverpool. Fortunately, many of the other top four contenders have had recent hiccups of their own, with West Ham, Manchester United, Arsenal and Tottenham all dropping points against sides they probably should have beaten. The race for next year’s Champions League spots will certainly come down to the wire, so collecting all three points against a team like Crystal Palace is crucial.

Most Chelsea fans will probably have only been following the Eagles through Conor Gallagher during this campaign and have likely missed out on the most entertaining side in the bottom half of the Premier League table. Goals should be expected regardless of the final result, with more than one coming in eight of Palace’s last nine EPL matches. Patrick Vieira’s free-flowing style will face serious resistance from Thomas Tuchel’s third-ranked defense, though, which is why I’ll be monitoring the over/under 2.5 total goals line in this match very closely. The Blues’ lack of attacking panache in the Club World Cup is steering me toward the under at -130.

Despite the team’s overall absence of creativity in Abu Dhabi, Romelu Lukaku managed to find the back of the net in consecutive matches for the third time since moving to Stamford Bridge in the summer. This is obviously a huge step in the right direction for the Belgian hitman who has been under constant fire since revealing his desire to one day return to Inter Milan in an interview with Sky Italia in December. Lukaku needs to build on this momentum and continue his scoring streak against Palace (anytime goalscorer odds +160), something he has shown more than capable of doing in the past. Big Rom has put at least one past Palace in all but one of his Premier League seasons, scoring eight goals in total.

Official odds (via WynnBet as of February 18)

Chelsea ML: -150
Crystal Palace ML: +455
Draw: +285
Over/Under: 2.5 (+105/-130)

My Picks

Given that Chelsea hasn’t lost to Crystal Palace since 2017, I have to ride the Blues on the moneyline at -150. Betting on the world champs with a -1.5 Asian Handicap is extremely tempting at +200 odds, but recent performances are preventing me from predicting a dominant victory. I like under 2.5 total goals for the match as well (-130) and will back Lukaku to get his name on the scoresheet (+160). Let’s play it safe with our money for this match.

What are your locks for this match? Let us know your thoughts in the comments or on Twitter!