This is the reverse of the third league outing of Enzo Maresca’s stewardship. That 1-1 with the Eagles at Stamford Bridge was actually the first league draw between the pair in 29 years. Every season the pair have met since 1991/92, the west Londoners have won at least once against the Glaziers, who are this season’s worst London derby performers.

Oliver Glasner’s side edged struggling visitors Southampton 2-1 last weekend, but home fans were far from glad all over after their previous home performance, a 5-1 loss to capital rivals Arsenal.

Monday’s 2-0 loss at Ipswich means Chelsea are without a win in three, but it is the perfect time to restart our 13-game winning run against the Glaziers that came to an end in September.

Victory against the fifth-worst home side in the top flight would extend our club record run of success at the Eagles’ lair to seven in a row. In fact, 12 victories from the past 15 Premier League away visits to Palace is the joint-best away record any side has against another in the competition.

Team news

It’s been a hectic period but the Chelsea squad have had their longest break between games (outside international weekends) since September.

The Blues will step into 2025 with a resolution to be more decisive at both ends of the pitch, after a handful of key moments swung Monday’s game in Ipswich’s favour. In two of the past three games (Everton and the Tractor Boys) the Blues have possessed the ball for three-quarters of the game without finding the net, despite respectable expected goals totals.

Chelsea are currently the second-best side on the road in the league and have scored at least once in each of the past 21 Premier League encounters with Palace going back to 2014, and 61 per cent of our league goals have been scored away from the Bridge.

Enzo Maresca could rotate his squad again, potentially with Nicolas Jackson leading the line and Robert Sanchez between the sticks. The keeper has the highest save rate in the top flight, repelling 78.2 per cent of shots on target he has faced.

There are hopes Romeo Lavia, Carney Chukwuemeka and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall could all be ready for selection, while Maresca's options include possible returns to the flanks for Pedro Neto and Jadon Sancho. This game comes too early for Benoit Badiashile and Wesley Fofana.

The history

It is 100 years since these two clubs first met in Division Two in the 1924/25 season. A 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge preceded a 1-0 win for Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.

Our FA Cup connection has older roots. On 18 November 1905, Palace were the cup qualifier hosts the fledgling west Londoners were forced to visit, the same day we simultaneously faced Burnley at home in the league. The 1-0 victory over the Clarets compensated for the second string’s hefty knockout loss at Sydenham.

The follow-up in the league took 45 years to come, and the Blues made up for lost time in December 1969 by recording our biggest away victory there, Peter Osgood scoring four past his favourite opposition keeper - John Jackson - in a 5-1 win.

The honours were often shared at Selhurst Park over the ensuing decades, but since 2018 it has been one-way traffic, the west Londoners not dropping a single point there in our last six visits.

Most recently in south London, in February 2024, Jefferson Lerma opened the scoring for the Eagles, but former loan star Conor Gallagher levelled for the Blues before Enzo Fernandez, then Gallagher with a second, settled the score at 3-1.

Know this...

Chelsea have beaten Crystal Palace more times than any other opponent in Premier League history (24 out of 31 games).

Chelsea scored 135 goals in 56 games during the calendar year 2024, our highest tally in the Premier League era, apart from the 137 from 65 matches in 2012.

Having accumulated four yellow cards in his first 10 league outings, Jackson navigated the next eight without incident to avoid a one-match ban. Players will now incur a two-game suspension if they accumulate 10 yellow cards before the end of the 32nd league match.

Most yellow cards

6 - Marc Cucurella, Wesley Fofana, Pedro Neto
4 - Moises Caicedo, Levi Colwill, Nicolas Jackson, Robert Sanchez

Fulham finally ended their 60-year wait for a top-flight win at Stamford Bridge, meaning the longest blank run now belongs to Watford, who last grabbed all three points on our patch way back on 5 May 1986.

Palace’s most recent derby action at Selhurst Park ended 5-1 to visitors Arsenal, but their only home league win of the season prior to beating Southampton last weekend was another capital clash, Jean-Philippe Mateta scoring the goal that saw off Tottenham Hotspur in October.

Premier League London derbies 2024/25