Ah, the smell of fresh cut grass and the roaring crowd, perfect sort of ambience for our upcoming Premier League showdown between Crystal Palace and Chelsea.
Chelsea fans might feel some level of comfort as the Blues' goalkeeper situation seems to be in good hands with Robert Sánchez leading the charge with his impressive 7.03 rating and 14 saves. On the other hand, let's not discount Crystal Palace's own Dean Henderson - the lad's holding his own with a 6.78 rating and 13 saves under his belt.
We'd be remiss not to point out some of Chelsea's premier goal-scorers here. Front and center is Cole Palmer with that 8.02 rating, swaggering around with 4 goals and an 81.2% accurate pass rate. He's closely followed by Enzo Fernández who boasts of a 7.58 rating and seems to have a fairly accurate shot, and oh let's not forget Jadon Sancho, he’s tickled the twine a couple of times. At Crystal Palace, the name Ismaïla Sarr has been making waves, carrying a 7.66 rating, and Trevoh Chalobah - the chap has found the net twice on 2 shots on goal. Oh, and could you imagine this being said: Eberechi Eze, he's got some decent numbers too.
Eyeing the past match-ups between the two, it’s been pretty much the Blues' party, with wins in 3 of the last 4 face-offs, most recent result was a draw though. Regular season records leaning in favor of Chelsea with 10 victories compared to Palace's 4.
Their recent form has been quite entertaining. Chelsea’s got a mixed bag just like an assorted candy jar - some wins, some losses and a draw sprinkled in there. Crystal Palace, well let's just say their recent unsavory loss to Arsenal might have left a bit of a sour taste, but a win against Southampton and a draw with Manchester City show signs of life.
So, brace yourselves folks, this one's going to be a cracker. As we adjust our monocles and gaze into the crystal ball, it appears Chelsea are poised to prevail here, but expect it to be as narrow as a hair's breadth.
Albert’s Prediction: Chelsea by 1
