Chelsea vs Crystal Palace prediction, odds, betting tips and best ...

Chelsea's 2-1 defeat at Wolves on Christmas Day means Mauricio Pochettino and his under-fire squad are under the microscope once again heading into Wednesday's London derby against Crystal Palace.

Palace are winless in seven matches but have drawn three during that time and, as their comeback from 2-0 down at Manchester City showed, Roy Hodgson's men relish bloodying the nose of the so-called big boys in the Premier League.

Both teams are nursing considerable injury lists, potentially making this London derby even more unpredictable than such fixtures tend to be.

BET: Chelsea vs. Crystal Palace latest odds on DraftKings

The Sporting News previews the game below with our prediction and best bets.

MORE: English Premier League table 2023/24: Updated EPL standings

Date: Wednesday, December 27, 2023 Kickoff time: 7:30 p.m. local (2:30 p.m. ET / 11:30 a.m. PT) Location: Stamford Bridge (London, England) Last meeting: Chelsea 1-0 Crystal Palace (January 15, 2023 | Premier League) Chelsea vs Crystal Palace prediction, odds Moneyline lean: Chelsea (-130) Score prediction: Chelsea 3-0 Crystal Palace   CHE
win Draw CRY
win Both teams
to score Y / N Over / Under
2.5 goals DraftKings
(USA) -130 +286 +370 -135 / -105 -115 / +105

*Odds correct as on December 27.

Chelsea vs Crystal Palace best bet Pick: Over 2.5 goals scored Odds: -115 (DraftKings)

Humiliating setbacks such as the one Chelsea suffered at Wolves have served to distract from the fact Pochettino's team are in rather good form at Stamford Bridge. They are unbeaten in five across all competitions at home, with the two draws in that period being the coruscating 4-4 thriller with Manchester City and the Carabao Cup quarterfinal against Newcastle that the Blues won on penalties.

Palace have only won once in the Premier League since the end of September, with that success coming against relegation-haunted Burnley. Hodgson's side have performed creditably in recent encounters against Liverpool, City and Brighton, drawing the most recent two.

However, their injury list remains hefty and they got through an awful lot of work without the ball. A Chelsea team with a point to prove might be getting them at the right time.

Chelsea vs Crystal Palace prop bet Pick: Christopher Nkunku to score and Chelsea to win Odds: +260 (DraftKings)

How different this latest oddity of a Chelsea season might have been had Christopher Nkunku not suffered a knee injury that required surgery in August.

Not many of the buys in the Todd Boehly era can be considered sure things, but Nkunku's record at RB Leipzig suggested he was more or less that. The former Paris Saint-Germain youngster enjoyed his breakout season with 20 goals in 34 Bundesliga games for RB Leipzig in 2021/22. He followed that with 16 in 25 last term.

Nkunku scored his penalty after making his Chelsea debut from the bench in the cup tie against Newcastle and marked his Premier League bow with a consolation goal against Wolves. Raheem Sterling and Cole Palmer being absent through suspension means he might be in line to start and give a fuller demonstration of his considerable qualities.