Chelsea vs. Crystal Palace
Venue: Stamford Bridge
Kick off: 3PM
Fresh from winning the UEFA Super Cup, Chelsea will begin their 2021-22 Premier League campaign with a home match against Crystal Palace this afternoon.
The Blues finished fourth in last season’s Premier League table, while Palace – now under the management of former Arsenal captain Patrick Vieira – claimed 14th for the second successive campaign.
Chelsea needed a penalty shootout to overcome Villarreal in the UEFA Super Cup on Wednesday night, as the two teams could not be separated at the end of 120 minutes; it was yet more European silverware for the Blues, who spectacularly beat Manchester City in last season’s Champions League final.
Thomas Tuchel has made a huge impression at Stamford Bridge since his arrival, but there is no question that the London club need to show improvement in the Premier League this term, as they only just finished fourth last term, some 19 points behind the champions Man City.
Marcus Bettinelli had been Chelsea’s only arrival this summer before the club announced the signing of Romelu Lukaku on Thursday night, with the Inter Milan striker returning to Stamford Bridge in a £97.5 million deal.
The Blues played three pre-season friendlies over the summer, beating Bournemouth and Arsenal, in addition to drawing with Tottenham Hotspur, and today’s clash with Palace is even more important than it might have been considering that Tuchel’s side have a tough start to the campaign.
Indeed, the European Cup winners will visit Arsenal and Liverpool in their two games after the clash with Palace, while a tough September sees them face Aston Villa, Tottenham Hotspur and Man City.
To say that it has been a summer of change at Palace would be a slight understatement, with a new manager in place, as Vieira has replaced Roy Hodgson, and the 45-year-old will be desperate to make an impression in the Premier League, having enjoyed such success as a player.
The Eagles have boosted their squad with the arrivals of Marc Guehi, Joachim Andersen, Michael Olise, Remi Matthews, Jacob Montes and Conor Gallagher, while a whole host of players have left on free transfers, including Andros Townsend, Patrick van Aanholt, James McCarthy, Scott Dann and Gary Cahill.
As a result, there will be a new look to the Palace XI next season, and it will be fascinating to see what the club can achieve this term, having finished 14th in their last two campaigns at this level of football.
The London club have had a busy pre-season in terms of fixtures, playing five times, recording four victories, including a 3-1 success over Watford in their last friendly on August 7, but Vieira will be aware of the challenge that his side will face this afternoon.
Palace will face Chelsea, Brentford and West Ham United in their three Premier League matches this month, while they will also begin their EFL Cup challenge against fellow top-flight side Watford on August 23.
Chelsea possible XI: Mendy, Azpilicueta, Christensen, Rudiger, Hudson-Odoi, Kante, Jorginho, Alonso, Mount, Werner, Havertz.
Crystal Palace possible XI: Guaita, Ward, Kouyate, Guehi, Mitchell, McArthur, Riedewald, Schlupp, Zaha, Mateta, Ayew.
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