Chelsea starts fresh this weekend as it seeks a seventh league title, and visiting Crystal Palace is first on the slate when the 2021-22 English Premier League season kicks off Saturday. The Blues were languishing in ninth place under Frank Lampard last season but rallied after Thomas Tuchel took over, and they finished fourth in the league at 19-10-9. They went on to beat league champion Manchester City 1-0 to win the Champions League, and they won the UEFA Super Cup in a shootout over Villareal on Wednesday night. Now, they have their sights on league success, and a match against Crystal Place, which finished 14th at 12-8-18 last season, could build confidence right off the bat.
Kickoff is set for 10 a.m ET at London's Stamford Bridge. Chelsea is the -350 favorite (risk $350 to win $100) in the latest Chelsea vs. Crystal Palace odds at Caesars Sportsbook. Palace is the +1000 underdog and a draw priced at +440, while the over-under for total goals scored is 2.5. Before locking in any Crystal Palace vs. Chelsea picks or English Premier League predictions, you have to see what proven soccer insider Martin Green has to say.
After working in the sports betting industry for several years, Green became a professional sports writer and handicapper and has covered the game worldwide. Since then, his European soccer picks have been stunningly accurate. Green has generated more than $36,000 for $100 bettors since the 2017-18 season, and he has his finger on the pulse of the game all over the globe.
Now, Green has taken a close look at the Crystal Palace vs. Chelsea matchup and recently revealed his expert Premier League picks. You can head to SportsLine now to see the picks. Here are the EPL odds and betting trends for Chelsea vs. Crystal Palace:
- Chelsea vs. Crystal Palace: Chelsea -1.5 (-110)
- Chelsea vs. Crystal Palace over-under: 2.5 goals
- Chelsea vs. Crystal Palace money line: Chelsea -350, Palace +1000, Draw +440
- CHE: MF Mason Mount was second in the league in shot-creating actions with 163 last season
- CRY: GK Vicente Guaita has 25 clean sheets in three seasons with the team
Why you should back Chelsea
The Blues have won seven straight against Palace and are 31-15-12 in the all-time series. They dominated the two meetings last season. Chelsea held the ball for 71 percent of the first match (a 4-0 home win) and 64 percent of the second (4-1 on the road). The Eagles were outshot 40-5 and had one shot on target over the two games. Prize signing Romelu Lukaku isn't expected to play for the Blues, but Mason Mount, Timo Werner and Kai Havertz also are dangerous. Werner scored 12 goals last season, while Mount and Havertz had a combined 18 goals and 15 assists.
Chelsea's defense has been its signature since Tuchel took over in late January, and the Blues are 19-6-5 with 19 clean sheets in all competitive matches since then. The defense remains intact, with Thiago Silva, Antonio Rudiger and Cesar Azpilicueta featuring in front of Edouard Mendy. The Senegalese goalkeeper had 16 clean sheets in his first season with the team. The Eagles yielded 66 goals last season, third-most in the league, and were minus-25 in goal differential, while Chelsea conceded just 36, second-fewest in the EPL, and was plus-22.
Why you should back Crystal Palace
Palace spent $60 million in the offseason to completely transform the team, and Vieira will push hard to make a good first impression. The former Arsenal captain replaced Roy Hodgson and should be a fiery leader for a team in need of discipline. Wilfried Zaha, who scored 11 goals last season, will continue to play at a high level in attack as he tries to draw attention for a desired transfer. Striker Christian Benteke scored 10 goals in 2020-21 and is always hard to handle. The Eagles are in rebuilding mode but have brought in some promising young players.
Michael Olise, who had seven goals and 12 assists as a 19-year-old with Reading last season, was a notable addition but could be out with a back issue. Fellow midfielder Conor Gallagher, 21, comes over from West Brom, while Marc Guehi (Swansea) and Joachim Andersen (Fulham) join the defense. With Lukaku out, the defense can focus on bottling up Havertz and Werner, who have struggled mightily to finish. Palace is a more accurate shooting team, putting more than 37 percent of its shots on net (fifth in EPL), compared to Chelsea's 35 percent (ninth).
How to make Crystal Palace vs. Chelsea picks
Green has taken an in-depth look at the Chelsea vs. Crystal Palace match, and he's locked in two confident best bets and complete analysis of this English Premier League match. He's only sharing those picks at SportsLine.
So who wins Crystal Palace vs. Chelsea? And where does all the betting value lie? Visit SportsLine now to see the best bets for Chelsea vs. Crystal Palace, all from the European soccer expert who has generated more than $36,000 for $100 bettors over the past four seasons, and find out.
