Chelsea will open the 2025-2026 Premier League campaign by hosting Crystal Palace at Stamford Bridge. This is a London derby that promises to be full of drama.
In the previous season, both teams left their mark with a total of three titles. Palace even started the exciting new season with the English Super Cup championship after a victory over Liverpool last weekend.
Meanwhile, after winning the UEFA Conference League and FIFA Club World Cup, Chelsea returned to the Premier League determined to improve their fourth place last season. Although the place in the Champions League is a remarkable achievement, with a huge investment, coach Enzo Maresca will face greater pressure than ever.
Trust in Maresca is still tested. Last season, The Blues competed for the top spot with Liverpool until December but seriously declined and only managed to win a ticket to the Champions League in the final round.
The tight schedule due to the FIFA Club World Cup has given The Blues a short pre-season. However, they still managed to play 2 friendly matches and won all against Bayer Leverkusen and AC Milan.
Chelsea entered the new season with a fateful schedule. This includes four consecutive London derbies against Crystal Palace, West Ham, Fulham and Brentford.
Head-to-head history is in favor of the Blues as they are unbeaten in their last 15 Premier League games against Palace, winning 7/8 of them at Stamford Bridge. Notably, the last time the two teams met in the opening round of 2021, Chelsea started enthusiastically with a 3-0 victory.
Chelsea have the advantage of a history of head-to-head matches and depth of force, but Crystal Palace brought great confidence after the English Super Cup championship.
With excitement, the away team certainly did not come to Stamford Bridge to make a foundation. This London derby is therefore predicted to be a 90 minute match that is both rich in tactical calculations and tense and intense from the beginning of the season.
Link to watch Chelsea - Crystal Palace live:
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