Chelsea's Loss Of Form Expected During Season, Enzo Maresca Comments Ahead Of Crystal Palace Clash

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Chelsea's head coach, Enzo Maresca, remains calm despite recent setbacks. Ahead of their match against Crystal Palace on Saturday, he acknowledged that such challenges are part of a football season. Chelsea's last game in 2024 ended in a 2-0 defeat to Ipswich Town, marking three consecutive matches without a win. Maresca urged his team to respond positively at Selhurst Park.

Chelsea currently holds fourth place in the Premier League, trailing Liverpool by ten points but leading Newcastle by three. Maresca noted that few anticipated Chelsea's current position this season. He believes this progress indicates they are on the right path but acknowledges the need for improvement to compete consistently with England's top teams.

Oliver Glasner expressed hope for Eberechi Eze's continued success after his decisive goal against Southampton. "I'm very pleased for him," Glasner said. Eze faced challenges earlier in the season, including a disallowed goal against Brentford. His perseverance paid off with a crucial goal, bringing relief after several near misses.

Eberechi Eze aims to make history at Selhurst Park by scoring against Chelsea both home and away this season. The last Crystal Palace player to achieve this was George Whitworth in 1924-25. Meanwhile, Chelsea's Cole Palmer is having an impressive season with 12 goals and six assists, making him one of the league's top contributors.

Chelsea has historically performed well against Crystal Palace, winning 12 out of 15 away games in the Premier League. However, they have lost their last two league matches, matching their total defeats from the previous 23 games combined. Their last streak of consecutive losses occurred between April and May 2023 under Frank Lampard.

Crystal Palace managed a 1-1 draw with Chelsea earlier this season, breaking a streak of 13 consecutive Premier League losses against them. They haven't avoided defeat in both league meetings since the 1991-92 season. Despite losing five of their first eight games this season, Palace has improved recently with only two losses in their last eleven matches.

Match Prediction and Statistics

Chelsea is favoured to win against Crystal Palace with a probability of 48.2%, according to Opta statistics. Crystal Palace has a win probability of 27.5%, while the likelihood of a draw stands at 24.3%. Despite recent struggles, Chelsea remains confident in securing victory based on past performances against Palace.

The Eagles have struggled in opening league matches over the past three years, losing each time by an aggregate score of 12-2—all London derbies. This trend poses a challenge as they face Chelsea again in another derby clash at Selhurst Park.

Chelsea aims to start strong in 2025 after winning only one opening league match in the past eight years—a narrow victory over Fulham last year. They seek consecutive opening wins for the first time since 2005 and 2006 as they prepare for another challenging Premier League campaign ahead.