Jake Pearson previews Chelsea's trip to Selhurst Park to take on Crystal Palace, picking out his best bets and score prediction.
Football betting tips: Premier League
1.5pts Chelsea -1 on the corner handicap at 5/6 (Sky Bet)
1pt Chelsea to win -1 handicap at 15/8 (Sky Bet, BetVictor)
Crystal Palace may arrive into this fixture having tasted defeat just once in their last six matches in all competitions, but their only two wins in that period came in the FA Cup against lower-league opposition, and in fact, you have to go back to late December to find their last Premier League victory, a 3-0 win over Norwich.
Chelsea, meanwhile, make the trip to south London as the newly crowned club world champions, having beaten Palmeiras in the final of the FIFA Club World Cup, and for all the catastrophising around the Stamford Bridge outfit of late, their defeat to Manchester City in mid-January remains just their second loss in the Premier League since Pep Guardiola’s men got the better of them back in September.
They remain 16 points adrift of the team from the blue side of Manchester, and the league looks a mere formality now, meaning Chelsea’s attention may drift towards the Champions League, but with the Blues unable to field any of their unvaccinated players against Lille next week – players that Thomas Tuchel referred to as “key” – Chelsea should have no excuses for not fielding an extremely strong starting line-up at Selhurst Park.
Kick-off time: 15:00 GMT, Saturday
C Palace 9/2 | Draw 14/5 | Chelsea 8/13
Given the issues Palace are clearly suffering with of late, backing CHESLEA -1 ON THE HANDICAP looks a good wager at 15/8.
Not only have Chelsea scored the third most goals, as well as racked up the third most expected goals (xG) in the Premier League this season, the Blues, despite common perception, have also scored the third most ‘non-crucial’ goals (21) – a goal that either increases their lead or decreases an opponent’s lead – while Palace have conceded the seventh most (13).
Chelsea have also scored Over 1.5 Goals in 83% of their matches this season, while 10 of their 13 wins have actually come by a margin of two or greater – four of Palace’s eight defeats have been by two or more goals.
Another price that really catches the eye in this fixture is the 5/6 available about CHELSEA -1 ON THE CORNER HANDICAP.
Given Tuchel’s men are expected to dominate proceedings it is fair to assume their pressure in Palace’s final third will lead to corners.
As in most categories this season, Manchester City and Liverpool are way out in front in terms of corners taken, but Chelsea sit comfortably in third place, averaging 0.82 more corners per match than next-best Southampton.
Given the Blues have also allowed on average the fourth fewest corners in the division, backing them to cover a one corner spread – something they have done on 16 occasions already this season – makes appeal.
Crystal Palace v Chelsea best bets and score prediction
- 1.5pts Chelsea -1 on the corner handicap at 5/6 (Sky Bet)
- 1pt Chelsea to win -1 handicap at 15/8 (Sky Bet, BetVictor)
Score prediction: Crystal Palace 0-2 Chelsea (Sky Bet odds: 13/2)
Odds correct at 1540 GMT (16/02/21)
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