Tuchel has left the building. The famous German manager had a good run with Chelsea Football Club and ultimately left when things didn’t go as planned. Since time is not something you get at a club like Chelsea, Tuchel has left and there’s a new manager in the hot seat. 

Having been through ups and downs and seen every side of football, we have Graham Potter ready to take the team forward. While many predicted his future to be in good hands with all that he has achieved so far, only a few would have seen him at Chelsea. 

But that is football. Unpredictable to its limit. So without further ado, let’s look into a fixture that Chelsea is expected to win but can also end up as a draw or a defeat. Hence, here’s a preview of Crystal Palace vs Chelsea. 

Good God! Matchday 9 is Here

International breaks have to be the worst period in football except for an upcoming break that also brings in the World Cup. However, for now, we have club football, something that fans have missed for weeks and probably a month. 

Starting the matchday, we have Arsenal vs Tottenham, which for obvious reasons is expected to be full of action. And moving forward, we have big hitters like Liverpool taking on Brighton, West Ham taking on Wolves, Leeds taking on Aston Villa, and of course, Crystal Palace taking on Chelsea. 

While every single one of these games is expected to be entertaining, there’s one that is sure to grab all the headlines, i.e. the Manchester Derby. That’s right. We also have the biggest names in Manchester going head to head in what will be Ten Hag’s first derby. 

So be prepared for every possible scenario because this is the Premier League that we are talking about. But for now, let’s look at Patrick Viera’s Palace and Potter’s Chelsea. 

When and where is this fixture taking place? 

Crystal Palace vs Chelsea is going to be held at Selhurst Park, a place that has seen all kinds of Premier League games take place. Moreover, the fixture will take place on the 1st of October. 

Potter has a huge task at hand 

Winning is what you need to produce at Chelsea Football Club. There’s no other solution awarded to managers because their task is quite difficult. And Graham Potter will be aware of that. He knows that opportunities like these are few and that he needs to produce the best. 

While fans of Brighton may not understand that, Potter does and he will forever be grateful to his former club. So the task is to get three points and move ahead to beat Crystal Palace. Potter understands how Vieira plays and will be aware of how to set up his team. 

But the bigger question will be whether he understands his team and knows how they play. Since that requires this time, this is a tricky fixture for Chelsea. Moreover, Palace is not a team that you can take for granted. 

Ever since Patrick Viera decided to coach Palace, they seem like a whole different team that is capable of stopping the big guns. While they have only won a single game so far, they don’t seem to be out of form or ready to let other teams come in and rule the game. 

While Gallagher not being a part of the team does leave Palace without some form of creativity in midfield, they have no time to think about the same, especially with Gallagher being a part of Chelsea. 

While Chelsea does have more quality than Palace, we have seen that the Premier League is unpredictable and is more than happy to welcome underdogs. Moreover, Chelsea could take some time in adapting to Potter’s demands because every team requires time. 

Potter’s tactics are way different from that of Tuchel’s. While his attacking and possession-based football does ring a familiar bell at Chelsea, the high-press that he demands could be new. 

Very few Chelsea players are known to run all over the field because they have always maintained possession. So the process is going to be different from what one could imagine. However, Potter could help his team adapt and also be more open to what they have to produce on the field. 

On the other hand, we also have Patrick Viera dominating proceedings for the better because he knows how to get all three points in this fixture. But the journey across the mountain is not an easy one. Palace aren’t in the best of forms and the international break is more or less a blessing for them. 

So the process is going to be hard but not impossible. Both Viera and Potter understand each other and know how to outsmart the other. But in football, only one can win, one will lose and both can draw. So how will this fixture go ahead? Well, let’s wait and watch. 

Crystal Palace vs Chelsea : Head-to-head 

Both Palace and Chelsea have contributed to a total of 26 Premier League, out of which only two have been draws. And if one were to guess about who’s leading the pair in terms of wins, the answer would be an obvious one. 

Chelsea are the more dominant pair among the two and naturally leads the line in terms of victories.

As you can see, Chelsea have won a total of 20 games when compared to a mere total of 4. That is sure to be a huge result that Palace will keep in mind. Moreover, Palace haven’t won any of their last five meetings against Chelsea, which makes this fixture all the more difficult for the club. 

Last Season’s Results 

The previous season saw Palace concede a total of 4 goals against Chelsea and haven’t scored against them. 

Crystal Palace vs Chelsea (0-1) 

19th February 2022

Despite controlling Chelsea for huge parts of the game, Palace couldn't keep the game intact. In the 89th minute, they saw Hakim Ziyech fire the ball into the net and thus understood that they would be coming out of this fixture without getting anything from it. 

It was quite a sad moment for the 25,000 odd fans in attendance. 

Chelsea vs Crystal Palace (3-0)

14th August 2021

Palace’s first fixture against Chelsea during the previous season is not something the club would want to remember. They had a time to forget because the Blues scored over three goals and put Palace to the test. 

Despite creating some chances, Palace failed to take them and ended up conceding three without a reply. Due to all that, Palace needs to get their game going when Chelsea visit them on the 1st of October 2022.