Crystal Palace vs Chelsea
Premier League 2018/19
Venue: Selhurst Park
Date: Sunday, 30 December, 2018
Kick-off time: 12pm GMT
Chelsea are aiming to keep hold of fourth place in the table as they head to south London to face Crystal Palace on Sunday.
Eden Hazard's brace sank Watford on Boxing Day to send Maurizio Sarri's Blues above Arsenal into the Champions League qualification places with half the season gone.
As for Palace, Roy Hodgson's Eagles have climbed to 14th with seven points from their last three games, and a 3-2 win at champions Manchester City will serve as a warning for this London derby.
Team news and predicted line-ups
Pedro is unlikely to play against Palace after being substituted against Watford with an apparent hamstring injury.
Sarri confirmed the Spanish forward would be assessed on Thursday, but he may not be risked with games coming thick and fast for the Blues.
Callum Hudson-Odoi came on as a sub for Pedro, but was himself replaced in the final five minutes following a flare-up of a recent hamstring problem.
Alvaro Morata is back in training and will be pushing for a squad role, though Sarri is likely to persist with Hazard as a false nine rather than fielding Morata or Olivier Giroud.
In defence, Andreas Christensen remains out of action with a thigh injury.
Chelsea XI (4-3-3): Kepa; Azpilicueta, Rudiger, Luiz, Alonso; Kante, Jorginho, Kovacic; Hazard, Willian, Barkley
Score prediction: Crystal Palace 1-2 Chelsea
Sunday's result will largely depend on which Crystal Palace side show up. The Eagles have drawn with Arsenal and Manchester United this term along with beating champions Manchester City away before Christmas, but their home form has been disappointing with nine points from nine games and just five goals scored.
If Hazard is on form once again then there is little Palace can do to stop him, but the Belgian will need a little more help from his team-mates on Sunday if Chelsea are to hold onto their top four spot.
Betting tips via Betfair | UK users only | Subject to change
Match odds
- Palace to win: 54/1
- Draw: 29/10
- Chelsea to win: 3/4
First goalscorer odds
- Eden Hazard: 4/1
- Wilfried Zaha: 17/2
- Willian: 13/2
Click here to find the latest match odds and place a bet.
Crystal Palace vs Chelsea tickets
Click here for more information on Selhurst Park tickets.
TV channel and live stream online coverage
The match will be shown live on Sky Sports' Premier League and Main Event channels, and is available via Now TV with a day pass on offer for £7.99. Sky Sports subscribers can stream the match online via SkyGo and the SkyGo app.
You can follow all the action with analysis from Standard Sport correspondent James Benge LIVE at Selhurst Park.
Head to head (h2h) history and results
The London rivals have met 19 times in the Premier League: Palace have won four times, Chelsea 13, and the sides have drawn twice.
Chelsea beat Palace 3-1 at Stamford Bridge in the reverse fixture in November, but the Eagles beat the Blues 2-1 at Selhurst Park last season.
