Preview: Crystal Palace vs. Chelsea - Team news and prediction.

Two of the season's disappointments meet in a genuine mid-table clash in the Premier League on Monday night. Crystal Palace is facing significant challenges in the league, especially defensively, having conceded 11 goals in the last three league matches. Overall, they have encountered significant issues with their gameplay. Palace currently has 24 points in the league, five points clear of Everton below the relegation line. For Palace, the focus is on shoring up the defense and accumulating as many points as possible to avoid the threat of relegation.

Chelsea has once again disappointed in the league this year, currently sitting in 11th place with 31 points. There is not much left to play for in the remaining season. The focus should be on finding a solution to the gameplay issues and putting together some positive results to boost confidence among both players and fans. It's crucial to reignite belief in the ongoing project.

Last five meetings between Palace vs. Chelsea: 
◉ 2-1: Chelsea vs. Palace
◉ 1-0: Chelsea vs. Palace 
◉ 1-2: Palace vs. Chelsea 
◉ 2-0: Chelsea vs. Palace 
◉ 0-1: Palace vs. Chelsea 

Team news: 
Cheick Doucoure, Rob Holding, Eberechi Eze, Jesurun Rak-Sakyi, and Marc Guehi are all sidelined with injuries and are not part of the match squad for Crystal Palace. Michael Olise suffered a setback in the last game, and he will now be watching from the sidelines for several weeks. This poses a significant issue for Palace, as they are simply a different team with Eze and Olise on the field. 

Chelsea's injury situation is gradually improving, but they still have to do without Marc Cucurella, Wesley Fofana, Reece James, Lesley Ugochukwu, and Romeo Lavia, all of whom are still sidelined with injuries. However, Benoit Badiashile had to come off in the midweek FA Cup game and is not expected to be available, likely leading to Thiago Silva returning to the starting lineup. 

Palace expected lineup:
Henderson; Munoz, Richards, Andersen, Mitchell; Hughes, Wharton, Lerma; Ayew, Mateta, Schlupp. 

Chelsea expected lineup: 
Petrovic; Gusto, Disasi, Silva, Chilwell; Fernandez, Caicedo; Madueke, Gallagher, Palmer; Jackson. 

Prediction: 
Considering Crystal Palace's injuries and their recent defensive struggles, it's challenging to see them secure a victory in tonight's match. Chelsea has been inconsistent in performances, but their recent strong showing in the FA Cup against Aston Villa suggests they are building momentum. Chelsea has historically had a strong record against Palace, and we believe that trend will continue. Therefore, we suggest betting on Chelsea to win the match at odds of 1.72 with Bet365.