Chelsea (24-8-2, 80 Points) has badly wanted to sew up the Premier League title on its home turf over the course of the last few weeks. A win over Crystal Palace (11-9-14, 42 Points) on Sunday would clinch the league championship.
ODDS ANALYSIS
As of Wednesday evening, there are still no odds posted for this match, but we suspect that Chelsea is going to be around a goal and a half favorite and around -300 on the Asian handicap.
KEY INJURIES
Chelsea is just about at full strength headed into this match, though Loic Remy and Diego Costa both remain out with nagging injuries. There has been no rush to get either one back on the pitch with the comfortable lead that the Blues have had on the rest of the pack in the EPL, especially with no other cup left to play for either.
Crystal Palace could get back Frazier Campbell and Marouane Chamakh for Sunday's trip to Stamford Bridge, but both have been dealing with hamstring problems for a month or more and are no certainty to come back at all this season.
QUOTE TO NOTE
"I don't need other people to recognize what we are because I know exactly what we are. In a very pragmatic way, we are what every team would like to be." – Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho on his team's championship run in 2014-15
RECENT FORM
Chelsea found itself behind against Leicester City last week in a midweek bout, but it stormed back to score the final three goals of the soiree to win 3-1. That now marks 16 straight matches without a defeat across all competitions for the Blues, and it also leaves them without a loss in the Premier League since losing 5-3 on New Year's Day to Tottenham.
The team once known as "Plucky Palace" hasn't been so plucky of late, as the team has lost consecutive 2-0 decisions at home against West Brom and Hull City. It's hard to blame the Eagles for their faults, though. They locked up safety into the Premier League for next season long ago, and there is little left to play for aside from a Top 10 finish.
TALKING TOTALS
The Blues have stayed rather consistent as an under team for most of the season. Wednesday's game against the Foxes was a bit of an exception, largely thanks to the fact that Leicester City is still fighting for its life in the Premier League and took a lot of chances defensively. Three straight matches prior to that all stayed under for the Blues.
Crystal Palace has had a problem scoring goals all of a sudden with two straight games without a strike. Still, prior to those two unders, CP had scored at least two goals in four straight games, all of which went past the total.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
Crystal Palace has had this bad problem of playing down to the level of its competition of late. Of course, it should be noted that the team has been playing up to its superior foes as well.
Palace has beaten Manchester City at home and Stoke on the road just since the beginning of March, and 2-1 losses to Arsenal and Liverpool at home could have easily gone the other way. The Eagles were also in a 2-1 loss in October every step of the way against the Blues.
Crystal Palace is going to be quite a sharp team on the Asian handicap in this one, knowing that everyone will be expecting to see the Blues romp to their EPL title. Both sides will end up happy with this one, as CP will put on a show worthy of a cover, and perhaps even a point as well. Still, if we had to guess, Chelsea will score early and take its foot off the gas pedal in celebration.
Chelsea 1, Crystal Palace 0
The English Premier League lines for this contest will be first released by BookMaker Sportsbook. Since this game can be seen by anyone with a TV, BookMaker will have a multitude of wagering options available for it. Outside of the normal lines, you can gamble on real-time moneylines, spreads and totals. Live betting is open during every step of this match!
Need to fund your account before the big game but don’t have your computer? No problem! BookMaker Sportsbook now offers a mobile betting cashier so you can deposit money directly from your smartphone. Don’t miss out on getting paid because you couldn’t bet. Click here and deposit at BookMaker now! The fixture between Chelsea and Crystal Palace is scheduled for Sunday, May 3, 2015 at 10:00 a.m. ET at Stamford Bridge. The match will be televised live on NBC Sports Network.
