Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca has said their blip is to be expected during a football season ahead of their match against Crystal Palace on Saturday.
Maresca's side were beaten 2-0 by Ipswich Town in their final game of 2024, meaning they go into the next match without a win in their last three matches.
But despite their worrying loss of form, Maresca was unfazed as he urged his side to find a response against the Eagles at Selhurst Park.
“We expected moments like this during the season because we know moments like this are part of football,” he told Sky Sports.
“It's almost impossible to have a season where you don't have a moment like now for us.”
Chelsea are currently fourth in the Premier League and ten points ahead of leaders Liverpool, while they are three points clear of fifth-placed Newcastle.
Maresca went on to explain that no one expected Chelsea to be in the position they are currently in at this stage of the season.
This means and shows that we are on the right track, as I have said many times, but it also shows that we are still a long way from being competitive and consistent and not up there among the best teams in England.
“Again, I think we have to be happy with where we are, but at the same time we have to know that we have to do a lot of things better.”
2025 starts here. pic.twitter.com/uPVq1UNHhR
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) January 1, 2025
Oliver Glasner, meanwhile, will be hoping Eberechi Eze can get started after scoring the winning goal against Southampton last season, which was only his second in the competition this season.
“I'm very happy for him.” Glasner said. “Maybe it's the circle of football. It started with the disallowed goal at Brentford after ten minutes.
“It was the first game of the season and now it is the last game of 2024 and now he scored this goal. It really bothered him, it seemed at this special moment.”
“He had a lot of big chances, great saves from the goalkeepers, missed by an inch, hit the post and then suddenly it was in his head.
“I could see him, he was suffering. I'm very happy for him that he scored the match winner today.”
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Crystal Palace – Eberechi Eze
Eze scored Palace's goal in the 1-1 draw against Chelsea earlier this season and will be keeping an eye on a piece of history at Selhurst Park.
The only Eagles player to score home and away league goals against the Blues in one season was George Whitworth in 1924–25.
Chelsea Cole Palmer
Palmer is the third top scorer in the Premier League this season with twelve goals so far. He is also second to Mohamed Salah in the Premier League in terms of total goals, having provided six assists in the competition.
No player has been involved in more Premier League goals in 2024 than Palmer (26 goals, 13 assists), a record for a Blues player in a single year.
Only Erling Haaland (142) had more shots in the top flight (139) than Palmer last year, and only Bruno Fernandes (99) created more chances (97) than Chelsea's talisman.
MATCH PREDICTION: CHELSEA WIN
Chelsea have won 12 of their 15 Premier League away games against Palace (D1 L2) – it is the joint highest away win percentage any side has against another side in the competition (80% – min. 10 meetings).
However, the Blues have lost their last two Premier League games, as many defeats as they had suffered in their previous 23 games combined (W15 D6). They last suffered more losses in a row between April and May 2023 during Frank Lampard's second spell in charge (four).
Chelsea have won their opening league match (D5 L2) only once in the last eight calendar years, although this was a 1-0 win against Fulham in 2024. They last won their first league match in consecutive years in 2005 and 2006.
Palace's 1-1 draw with Chelsea in the reverse fixture in September ended a run of thirteen consecutive Premier League defeats to the Blues. They have not avoided defeat in either league match since 1991-92 (D2).
But after losing five of their first eight Premier League games this season (D3), Palace have now lost just two of their last eleven (W4 D5). However, both defeats in this current season took place in the derbies at home in London (0-2 against Fulham, 1-5 against Arsenal).
However, the Eagles have lost their first league match in each of the past three calendar years by an aggregate score of 12-2. All three of these matches were also London derbies.
OPTA CHANCE OF WINNING
Crystal Palace – 27.5%
Draw – 24.3%
Chelsea – 48.2%
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