Crystal Palace welcome Chelsea this weekend to what is sure to be a noisy Selhurst Park and will be hoping the crowd can act as a twelfth man as they did last year when Palace beat Chelsea 1-0. Chelsea are now the only unbeaten Premier League side remaining after beating Arsenal, the only other team that were yet to fall to defeat, before the international break. Chelsea are 20/1 with 888sport to go the season undefeated but face a tough task this weekend at Palace.
The Eagles’ stand out star this season has been midfielder Mile Jedinak. The Australia captain has made the most tackles in the division with 35 and according to the EA SPORTS Player Performance also ranks first in the Premier League for interceptions, having cut out opposition passes 26 times. The central midfielder is key to the Palace side remaining resolute on Saturday and he will be hoping to keep up his early season form and contain the attacking talent Chelsea possess in midfield.
One of the players to benefit from Jedinak’s defensive shield is centre back Damien Delaney. Delaney has performed well in defence so far this season, and has made 61 clearances according to the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index. This ranks him among the top ten in the Premier League for clearances, and it would be no surprise to see Delaney climb further up the rankings this weekend.
Another player on form is Fraizer Campbell, having scored two goals in his last three games. The pacey forward could put the Chelsea defence to the test having run the eighth fastest speed in the entire Premier League. According to the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index. Campbell has been clocked running at 35.3km/h and it is certainly something that the likes of Terry and Cahill need to watch out for. Campbell is 11/1 with 888sport to score first against Chelsea.
Chelsea midfielder Cesc Fabregas has made the second greatest number of passes in the Premier League with 511, behind only Yaya Toure. The Spaniard has reaped the rewards, laying on seven assists for his teammates. 333 of his passes were in the opposition half, which again is only beaten by Yaya Toure, according to the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index.
Fabregas’ midfield partner Nemanja Matic has played every minute so far this season, and has covered a lot of ground in the process. The Serbian has run the fourth furthest distance out of anyone in the Premier League, having covered a total of 82.8km so far this season, according to the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index.
Diego Costa has got a remarkable 84.2% of his shots on target this season, and that has been translated in to nine goals from his seven appearances so far. After getting through the international break unscathed, Costa will be eager to continue his goalscoring form, and if he plays to his full ability, he may well prove too hot to handle for the Palace defence. Costa is 3/1 to score at least two goals this weekend with 888sport.
