Preview: Crystal Palace vs. Chelsea - prediction, team news, lineups

Winless in 17 matches against Chelsea, a Crystal Palace side in seeming turmoil welcome their crosstown rivals to Selhurst Park in Sunday's gameweek 23 fixture.

Oliver Glasner has remained in charge despite his rant following the Eagles’ defeat at Sunderland, extending the club’s winless sequence to 10, and they look to return to winning ways against the West Londoners, who are seeking consecutive Premier League wins for the first time since November.

Match preview

Glasner may have assured the gathered media on Friday that he had a constructive conversation with the higher-ups at Selhurst Park after blowing his top following Palace’s 2-1 loss at the Stadium of Light; however, broader issues at the South London club persist.

The Eagles have failed to win a match in any competition since December’s 2-1 success at Shelbourne, Marc Guehi has been sold to Manchester City and leading scorer Jean-Philippe Mateta wants to leave this month.

While many felt Glasner had talked himself out of a job after last week’s outburst, the Austrian manager remains in situ, even if a departure is anticipated at the season’s conclusion when his contract expires.

Before then, however, the former Eintracht Frankfurt manager must turn the tide in South London, where supporters have not witnessed a win since November 6’s 3-1 victory against AZ Alkmaar in the Conference League.

Having last secured a league victory at Selhurst Park at the start of November — a 2-0 success over Brentford — the 2025 FA Cup winners enter Sunday’s fixture without three points at their ground in seven matches, failing to score in four games during that period.

That magnifies the home team’s issues heading into gameweek 23’s encounter against Chelsea, whom they historically fare poorly against, having last defeated the West London side in October 2017.

Eight years have passed since that 2-1 victory at Selhurst Park, but fans at least can be encouraged by Glasner avoiding defeat in all three meetings with the Blues, playing out three draws in all contests since replacing Roy Hodgson in February 2024.

While Sunday presents a top opportunity to beat Palace, the hosts should also back themselves to hurt a Chelsea side that have been far from convincing under Liam Rosenior, despite winning three of the last four in all competitions.

The two-time European champions secured a much-needed 1-0 victory over Pafos in the Champions League in midweek, leaving them eighth in the 36-team league phase ahead of next week’s deciding matchday.

Defeating the Cypriot club followed an unconvincing 2-0 success against Brentford last weekend, which saw the Bees miss a plethora of presentable chances at Stamford Bridge, ending the club’s five-match winless spell in the top flight.

Now aiming to claim consecutive wins for the first time after notching three triumphs on the spin by defeating Tottenham Hotspur (1-0), Wolverhampton Wanderers (3-0) and Burnley (2-0) in November, the Blues hope to leverage the recent winning feeling to secure their first success in this fixture in nearly two years.

Maximum points will undoubtedly have short-term ramifications for the West London giants in the top-four race, as the sixth-placed outfit could rise into the coveted Champions League spots if they secure a 10th top-flight win and Liverpool and Manchester United — whom they trail by two and one point, respectively — drop points.

On the other hand, failure to end their five-match league sequence without winning away from home could see them slide even lower in the table, with Brentford in seventh one point adrift and Everton in 10th two behind the world champions.

Crystal Palace Premier League form:

Crystal Palace form (all competitions):

Chelsea Premier League form:

Chelsea form (all competitions):

Team News

There is positive news on the injury front for Palace with Glasner welcoming back Daniel Munoz into the group after missing just over a month with a knee issue, while Nathaniel Clyne could also be back in the matchday squad.

Also expected to take part this weekend is Ismaila Sarr, fresh from winning the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations title with Senegal.

However, the Eagles are expected to be without long-term absentee Cheick Doucoure (knee), Eddie Nketiah (thigh), Daichi Kamada (thigh) and Rio Cardines.

Despite Mateta’s desire to leave South London, Glasner confirmed that the forward has not yet submitted an official transfer request, making him available for possibly his final match for the club if a move materialises.

The Frenchman remains the club’s top scorer with eight goals, two of which have been match-winning strikes, and his six strikes at Selhurst Park make him the undeniable leading game-deciding threat for the Eagles.

Despite facing criticism at times, Joao Pedro is the Blues’ most decisive marksman this season, highlighted by his three game-winning goals (seven overall), behind only Manchester City's Erling Haaland, Brentford's Igor Thiago (both seven) and Fulham's Harry Wilson (four).

Rosenior confirmed on Friday that Cole Palmer had returned to training with the squad after missing the win over Pafos due to a minor thigh issue, indicating that the club’s best player will return to the starting XI, provided he does not suffer a setback before Sunday.

A similar situation applies to Reece James, who, having had his minutes carefully managed, could also start this weekend after being substituted at the break during Wednesday’s Champions League match.

The game has come too soon for Romeo Lavia, however, who has returned to training but will not be risked by the club to avoid any mishaps in his rehabilitation.

While the injury that forced Filip Jorgensen off at the interlude on Wednesday is not as severe as first feared, the club suffered another complication for Dario Essugo, and the midfielder will miss over a month of action.

Consequently, Essugo joins long-term absentee Levi Colwill (knee) and Tosin Adarabioyo (hamstring) on the treatment table.

Crystal Palace possible starting lineup:

Henderson; Richards, Lacroix, Lerma; Devenny, Wharton, Hughes, Mitchell; Johnson, Pino; Mateta

Chelsea possible starting lineup:

Sanchez; James, Chalobah, Badiashile, Cucurella; Caicedo, Fernandez; Neto, Palmer, Garnacho; Pedro

We say: Crystal Palace 1-1 Chelsea

Glasner has proven himself a difficult manager for Chelsea to overcome, and his tactical setup should be enough to secure another hard-fought point against his West London rivals.

Despite the Blues' superior individual quality, a fourth consecutive draw between these two clubs seems the most plausible outcome.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.