August 26 2015

Premier League

Can Crystal Palace register a rare win over Chelsea? Matt Nelson thinks so...

It is highly unlikely that anyone will fancy Crystal Palace to make the short trip across London to Stamford Bridge and come away with all three points, but stranger things have happened in football. More importantly, Chelsea have not exactly set the house on fire with the start they have made to the 2015/2016 Premier League season, and it should be remembered that Jose Mourinho’s men also failed to win any of their pre-season games.

We should not read too much into the latter of the two facts, but it was clear in their 3-0 defeat at Manchester City that all is not well at the defending champions. The rather public dispute between Mourinho and club doctor Eva Carneiro has created friction behind the scenes, but while they would argue it has nothing to do with their on-field problems, the ‘Special One’ has dropped to 12/1 in the race to be the next Premier League manager to lose their job.

As it's still very early in the season, speculation about the teams' relative success will still be hard to gauge, but websites such as Red8's provide some more immediately gratifying gambling options with a range of casino game offers on slots, roulette and blackjack that offer some impressive jackpots, as well as all of the familiar in football betting bonuses.

These include the interesting proposition that Alan Pardew is rated as safe as houses at 45/1, but his opposite number in the dugout at Stamford Bridge may see his odds decrease even further if they fail to win, let alone lose against us. There may be no better time than to get one over on Chelsea, but as it is incredibly difficult to decipher which Crystal Palace will turn up on the day, fans may be better off playing online casino games on Betsafe instead of using their sports betting market to back the Super Eagles.

It is a clear sign that nobody fancies us to come away from Stamford Bridge with anything, but we should go there with full confidence that we have enough quality to create real problems and make their worst start to the season since 1998 just that bit more of a nightmare.

Going into the game as underdogs should not be seen as a deterrent, but more of a motivation for the players to give it a real go and, if they perform as well as we know they can, go for all three points. Doing so would represent the wonderful progress made under Pardew since he arrived at the club in January as before then, we would have been instantaneously resigned to a heavy defeat at Stamford Bridge – a place where Chelsea very rarely lose.

It also reflects the confidence around the club and the fans that facing the defending champions, who have slipped to just over 4/1 to retain their crown, does not faze any of us, and going by the start both teams have made, a home victory is by no means guaranteed.

Pardew must have watched Chelsea sink to a damaging defeat to Manchester City with a wry smile on his face after watching their defence be exposed on a number of occasions by fast movement and bright attacking play. Branislav Ivanovic has to be targeted as a potential weakness who Palace can get at; there is no doubting the Serbian’s quality.

But the manner in which Jefferson Montero and Raheem Sterling gave him a torrid time through electric pace in previous games can only lead myself to feel that Wilfried Zaha and Yannick Bolasie could cause serious damage against a defender who cannot handle fast wingers.

You also have to consider that we will be coming up against a defence that will be without the presence of Thibault Courtois behind them as he will be serving the final game of his three-match ban, and as Asmir Begovic has looked a shadow of the keeper that was hugely impressive at Stoke, there are weaknesses that Palace can exploit if they are brave enough.

There is certainly enough about Crystal Palace’s play this season, particularly in the last away game at Norwich, to suggest that there will be real value in backing the super Eagles with Betsafe through the number of markets, including live in-play, that they provide.

Chelsea’s attacking qualities, namely through the presence of Eden Hazard and Diego Costa (he is 12/1 second-favourite behind Sergio Aguero to finish the season as Premier League top goalscorer), will certainly have to be safeguarded against, but I have never felt more confident that Palace could come away from Stamford Bridge with a memorable victory and increase the gloom at our London rivals.