Chelsea’s condensed Christmas calendar continues with a tasty London derby at Stamford Bridge, and the Blues will be looking to get back to winning ways.

Mauricio Pochettino took his team to Wolves on Christmas Eve for a game that ended in defeat. It has resulted in his side having three days fewer for recovery and preparation than tonight’s visitors, who drew at home to Brighton on Thursday.

The Eagles have the luxury of three festive fixtures over ten days; the Blues’ commitments have been compressed into just seven.

Our trip to Molineux showed once again the Premier League punishes those who miss big chances. Chelsea have missed 36 – the most in the Premier League – but the omens are good ahead of this fixture.

We have won three and drawn one of our past five matches played on Boxing Day or on 27 December. Pochettino, meanwhile, will hope to mastermind a sixth unbeaten home game and his twelfth career success against the Eagles – the most wins he’s enjoyed against any opponent.

The south Londoners have also not scored against Chelsea in their past four visits to the Bridge.

Chelsea team news

Pochettino has confirmed Enzo Fernandez, who missed our Christmas Eve defeat, will not be available this evening while Lesley Ugochukwu reaggravated his hamstring injury against Wolves and isn't expected to feature.

Moises Caicedo faces a race to be fit for Palace's visit due to the illness that kept him out on Sunday. Two players who did feature against Wolves, Cole Palmer and Raheem Sterling, were booked and are suspended tonight.

That Chelsea have missed more big chances in the Premier League than any other side this season is a constant frustration, but perhaps we will look back on Christopher Nkunku’s superbly executed header at Molineux as the harbinger of change.

The France international is the 27th player to net on his Premier League debut for Chelsea and the second this season after Axel Disasi against Liverpool.

Pochettino’s side have lost the fewest aerial challenges across Europe’s top five leagues (42.6 per cent) this season, yet Nkunku’s headed goal was only our fourth in the top flight this term.

Fellow summer signing Romeo Lavia recovered enough to feature on the bench against Wolves and could enjoy minutes in a midfield where options are limited

Winger Noni Madueke made a bright return from injury in the Black Country and with two front-three regulars banned, his driving runs into the area may prove important against a deep-lying Palace side.  

Goal contributions all comps 2023/24

Opposition scout – Crystal Palace

Crystal Palace have amassed their lowest points tally at this stage of a campaign since 2018/19 – Roy Hodgson’s second in the Selhurst Park hot-seat – and four fewer than this time last season.

Two-thirds of those points have been earned on the road and they have scored in eight of their nine jaunts away from south London. Most impressively, the Eagles came back from two goals down to draw 2-2 against Man City at the Etihad Stadium.

They drew 1-1 for the fifth consecutive time at home to Brighton in the 113th ‘A23 derby’ on Thursday.

However, Hodgson’s side are now without a win in seven matches and, although they have a marginally better defensive record than Chelsea, they have scored far fewer. Almost 40 per cent of the goals they have scored and conceded have occurred in the last quarter-hour of games.

The veteran head coach, normally one for consistency in team selection and formation, has switched things around in the search for points and in response to injuries.

Prominent among those is their most consistent dribbler and line-breaker Cheick Doucoure, though fellow central midfielder Jefferson Lerma could recover in time for tonight.

Hodgson is likely to set up with the same 5-4-1 that reclaimed a point at the Etihad rather than a more familiar 4-2-3-1, with Nathaniel Clyne occupying a right wing-back role with skipper Joel Ward sidelined. Dean Henderson is back wearing the gloves.

It is in wide areas that opponents find joy against the Eagles’ defence rather than through a centre marshalled by Cobham graduate Marc Guehi. Only three teams have a higher success rate in tackles.

Michael Olise and hard-working Jordan Ayew – back from suspension, and the most fouled player in the top flight – are the outlets who instigate so many attacks for the Glaziers.

Jean-Philippe Mateta is their best option to charge behind defences in the absence of Odsonne Edouard.

Chelsea vs Crystal Palace – the history

It was ninety-nine years ago in Division Two that the first edition of this game was played. It ended in a 2-2 draw with inside-forward Willie Brown notching both for the west Londoners.

In recent years the Blues have recorded twelve consecutive victories against the Eagles on all fronts, beginning with a 2-1 at Stamford Bridge in March 2018. Willian scored to record a career-best 13 goals for the season before Martin Kelly quickly put the ball past his own keeper. Former Blue Patrick van Aanholt netted a late consolation for the visitors.

That victory meant the Blues avoided losing three consecutive top-tier London derbies at home to the same opposition for the first time since 1974 against Arsenal.

Last January, Kai Havertz’s header was enough to secure the three points for Graham Potter after three straight defeats.

A win today would match our all-time best league run against a single opponent (12 consecutive victories against West Bromwich between 1989 and 2011).

Christmas London derbies

On this day in 1969, Dave Sexton’s Chelsea put five past Crystal Palace on their own patch. Peter Osgood, who liked to find a way past big John Jackson, grabbed four in a 5-1 win.

It is just over half a century since Fulham were post-Christmas visitors to the Bridge on this day in 1977. With Ray Wilkins pulling the strings, Micky Droy and Kenny Swain delivered the goals a mammoth 55,003 demanded against a Whites side featuring Bobby Moore and George Best.

It was the largest gathering inside the ground since the new East Stand had opened four seasons earlier.

Christmas 2019 would take some beating for capital gains though, as small chapters in history were rewritten in a rare north London double. The Blues’ victory at Tottenham on 22 December, courtesy of Willian’s two goals, made it a winning start at their new stadium and recorded our 100th goal against Spurs in the Premier League.

Only three clubs in the competition had previously hit a century against the same opponent (Man Utd vs Everton, Liverpool vs Newcastle, and Arsenal vs Everton).

The following week at Arsenal, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang opened the scoring early on but the west Londoners dominated after the break and claimed the spoils with a goal from Jorginho and a stylish Tammy Abraham finish.

It was the first occasion the Gunners had lost to us in the league having led at half-time –and they had never previously lost a Premier League home game to Chelsea having drawn first blood.

All-London affairs have not been Palace’s strongest suit this season; they are winless from five encounters. Chelsea have won twice across the capital but are yet to win at the Bridge.

Premier League London derbies 2023/24

Yellow ban rises

After Sunday, Chelsea are most-cautioned club in the top flight, with Palmer and Sterling the third and fourth players to sit out a fixture for reaching five individual cautions.

The one-match ban for accumulating five yellow cards will be raised to ten after tonight’s final whistle. Nico Jackson is two bookings away from hitting that unwanted landmark and enduring a two-game ban.