In Saturday soccer action, Chelsea (13 wins, 3 losses, 8 draws) visits Selhurst Park to take on Crystal Palace (5-8-11). Kickoff is set for 10 a.m. ET. Below, we preview the Crystal Palace vs. Chelsea odds and lines, and make our best EPL bets, picks and predictions.
Chelsea will finally be playing in the EPL again, having not played since Jan. 23 after a match with Arsenal was postponed. Chelsea did play twice in the Club World Cup and once in the FA Cup, winning all 3 games.
However, 1-1-1 in its last three EPL showings, Chelsea has fallen into third place on the table, trailing league-leading Man City by 16 points. This is pivotal match for Chelsea, which has played one less game than Man City.
As for Crystal Palace, it played last weekend (Saturday, Feb. 12) and drew 0-0 against Brentford. Crystal Palace has 3 draws and a 3-1 loss to Liverpool in its last 4 EPL matches.
The home side will be without M Conor Gallagher, who cannot play against his parent team, on loan from Chelsea. Gallagher has 21 starts and 7 goals on the season, so that’ll be a huge blow for Palace in this one.
Crystal Palace vs. Chelsea: Odds, picks and predictions
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Friday at 4:48 p.m. ET.
- Money line: Crystal Palace +430 (bet $100 to win $430) | Chelsea -150 (bet $150 to win $100) | Draw +285
- Over/Under: 2.5 (O: +105 | U: -130)
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Prediction
Chelsea 2, Crystal Palace 0
Money line (ML)
BET CHELSEA (-150).
Chelsea is by far the superior side here, and it is discounted a bit for being on the road.
Despite key players like F Mason Mount, M Reece James and D Ben Chilwell being unavailable, Chelsea will put a talented XI together with M Kai Havertz sliding into the projected starting lineup and F Romelu Lukaku up top.
Palace has given up 35 goals in 24 matches and has also lost to Chelsea this season. The Blues defeated Crystal Palace at home 3-0 in August. Chelsea’s real strength lies in its defense, allowing just 18 goals in 24 matches – the offense has scored 48 goals.
Palace, on the other hand, has scored just 32. The numbers obviously favor Chelsea. At -150, it looks like a good club to back having played a light schedule the past few weeks.
Over/Under (O/U)
BET UNDER 2.5 (-130).
Again, Chelsea has one of the best defenses in the EPL, giving up the third-fewest goals. There were just 7 combined shots on target the first time these two clubs met with Palace getting just 1 on frame.
Plus, it was already mentioned Palace will be down their top goal scorer in Gallagher. With Chelsea also without players that are key in transition, UNDER 2.5 is worth paying the more expensive –130 PRICE.
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