Graham Potter is not believed to be under serious pressure at this moment in time, with the Chelsea boss expected to be given time to get things right at Stamford Bridge, but there is no getting away from the fact that it has been a tough start to his time at the helm.
The 47-year-old has won eight, drawn four and lost seven of his 19 games in charge of the Blues, who will enter this match off the back of three straight losses in all competitions, including their last two in the league.
Indeed, Chelsea suffered a 2-1 loss to rivals Fulham in the league on Thursday, with that match following back-to-back defeats to Manchester City in the Premier League and FA Cup respectively, conceding five times to Pep Guardiola’s side and failing to find the back of the net.
The Blues have four league games against Palace, Liverpool, Fulham and West Ham United before heading to Borussia Dortmund for the first leg of their last-16 Champions League tie.
Potter’s side are currently down in 10th spot in the table, some 10 points behind fourth-placed Manchester United, who have a game in hand, so a Champions League finish this season is in severe doubt.
Chelsea have won each of their last 11 Premier League games against Palace, last failing to beat the Eagles in October 2017, which is a run of form that should hand them confidence heading into this match
Indeed, Palace’s last success over Chelsea was that game in October 2017, with the home team running out 2-1 winners at Selhurst Park, Wilfried Zaha dispatching the match’s decisive goal in the 45th minute.
Links >> Stream 1 HD Stream 2 HD Stream 3 HD Stream 4 HD
The Eagles are currently 12th in the Premier League table, just three points behind Chelsea, who have played a game more, so a victory on Saturday would move Patrick Vieira’s side level with their London rivals.
Palace were last in league action on January 4, suffering a 4-0 loss at home to Tottenham Hotspur, but they were also beaten by Southampton last weekend in the FA Cup, so the capital outfit are yet to win in 2023.
The Eagles only have the league to worry about for the rest of the season, and they have three tough matches to end the month, taking on Man United and Newcastle United in their two after this one.
