Here are your betting guide and tips for the Premier League contest between Chelsea and Crystal Palace.
It’s becoming increasingly more difficult to come up with words to describe each Blues loss. I genuinely can’t even articulate my feelings about the Fulham defeat. The team came out flat, yet again, but managed to stay in the game thanks to a few moments of individual magic from Joao Felix and a fortunate bounce at the feet of Kalidou Koulibaly.
The remaining 45’ or so were completely disastrous, as they included another injury to one of the few in-form players, a straight red card for Felix, and the decisive goal that handed Chelsea its sixth loss in eight matches. Graham Potter has done his best to keep a steady hand on the wheel, but I don’t think many managers could cope with the unending string of crises that continue to arrive at his desk.
Constant leaks and rumors regarding transfer targets haven’t helped things either, as they make Todd Boehly and the club’s hierarchy look unprofessional and disorganized. Simply put, Stamford Bridge has become a circus.
Looking at the Blues’ upcoming fixtures, I’m worried they could unwittingly get dragged into the relegation battle. Thursday’s visit from cross-town rivals Crystal Palace is sure to be a struggle considering it took a 90’ wonder strike from Conor Gallagher to dispatch of the Eagles when these two teams met back in October. I predict securing three points will be even more difficult this time out, especially given CFC’s form, but Patrick Vieira’s side is in the midst of a quasi-meltdown as well.
Palace has taken only three points from three league matches since the end of the World Cup and was bounced from the FA Cup by Southampton last weekend. I’m not expecting much entertainment value from the contest, but like I always say, these snoozers can provide a solid opportunity to make money for us gamblers. We’ll be riding unders heavily on Sunday.
I’ve been keeping a particularly close eye on the under for the game total at 2.5 goals. I’ve ridden the under on goal totals pretty regularly this season, hitting on it six of seven times previously. With its odds coming in at -126 against Palace, I like this play for the value as well. Both the Blues and the Eagles are bottom-half sides in terms of Premier League scoring at 1.2 goals per match and 1.0 goals per match, respectively, so the statistics bear out that we probably won’t see the ball find the back of the net very often.
Potter’s team selection is also significantly hampered by the ever-growing Chelsea injury report. A lack of attacking options in one dressing room is mirrored by a dearth of in-form forwards in the other, with a majority of Palace’s exciting young talents failing to reach the admittedly lofty expectations many pundits had set out for them at the beginning of the campaign. I wouldn’t be shocked if this ended 1-0 or even scoreless.
I’ll double down on this low-scoring prediction with a second bet as well, although it’s one I’m relatively unfamiliar with. I like the no option on the goal to be scored in both halves prop at -112 odds. History would suggest this is a strange phenomenon for the Blues, who have seen goals scored in both intervals of three of their five matches since the World Cup break. There doesn’t appear to be any numerical pattern that dictates the times at which they concede, but my overall belief that this contest won’t entail much action gives me confidence in this play.
Official odds (via FanDuel as of January 14)
Chelsea ML: -150
Crystal Palace ML: +420
Draw: +280
Over/Under: 2.5 (+104/-126)
My Chelsea picks:
This recent poor stretch of play from Chelsea coincided with a downturn in the success of our PoL betting guides, leading me to conclude that I had been putting too much faith in my favorite team. Betting with the heart is never a financially viable strategy, which I’ll certainly remember for the remainder of the year. With that in mind, give me under 2.5 goals to be scored at -126 odds and no on the goals to be scored in both halves prop at -112. Finally, I’ll look to redeem myself on the corner kick prop and again take under 10.5 for the match at -188 odds. Palace has taken the fourth-fewest corners in the English top flight in 2022/23, while the Blues have managed more than three corners only twice in their past five games. Follow the stats and don’t overthink it.