Chelsea continues to rumble towards what has seemed like a given of a Premier League title for months on end. The Blues have a 10-point cushion with 10 matches left to go, and their quest for 20 in these last 10 fixtures continues after a week off against lowly Crystal Palace and a match that probably shouldn't see any points lost.
Don't miss the EPL action from Stamford Bridge at 10 a.m. ET on Saturday, April 1, 2017. Catch every moment of the match live on NBC Sports Network.
Soccer Odds at BookMaker.eu
Chelsea -330
Crystal Palace +975
Draw +450
Over/Under 2.5
Odds Analysis
Is there any doubt that the favored final score of this match is 2-0 to the hosts? The Blues are favored by a goal and a half on the Asian Handicap and are playing with all the confidence in the world. Sure, the international break is a bit of a concern, but bettors have been lining up to lay the -330 on a team that is 12-0-1 at home this term and has hardly coughed up a single point against a minnow this season, particularly at the Bridge.
The total though, is just 2.5. Chelsea is basically a tossup to allow a goal in this match against a CP side that does have 21 goals in 14 away matches this season. That said, the Blues have allowed just eight in 13 home fixtures.
Key Injuries
Keep an eye on Victor Moses. He has a calf injury that caused him to withdraw from his Nigeria side on international duty last week. The injury isn't expected to be serious, but if he did happen to miss out on this one, that could be a problem. Eden Hazard and John Terry both missed out against Stoke City two weeks back but should be back in the fold on Saturday.
Palace has itself a lot of woes for sure. Mathieu Flamini is one of the newest injury woes for the Eagles, but James McArthur was pulled out of Scotland's side just before its World Cup qualifier last week with a knock as well. Toss in the fact that Pape Souare, Patrick Van Aanholt and Connor Wickham are long-term absentees and Loic Remy is ineligible for this match because he is on loan from Chelsea, and the Eagles have a lot of work to be done just to field a competitive side.
Recent Form
Plucky little Palace! Sam Allardyce has brought his team out of the relegation zone by picking up nine straight points, albeit in matches at home against Middlesbrough and Watford and at West Brom. That said, those are the types of teams you need to get points from if you're going to get through a relegation scrap, and the Eagles know they're four clear of safety now with 10 to go.
Chelsea just keeps rolling. The team is still playing in the FA Cup, and without European competition to worry about, the concern has largely been on winning the Premier League title by the biggest margin possible. The Blues now have nine straight points after a minor 1-1 setback at Burnley a month and a half ago, and they're going to be incredibly tough to beat from here.
Free Soccer Betting Pick
Before the international break, Diego Costa was playing some of his best ball of the season. The striker has been all over the opposing box and is constantly finding himself in goal-scoring opportunities. When he's playing well, Chelsea is literally impossible to beat.
Sure, this Crystal Palace side is in fine form, but at some point, you just have to accept the fact that you've got the best team in England on your side at home. It's hard to see a circumstance in which the Eagles get anything out of this more than one out of five times.
EPL Odds: Chelsea 2, Crystal Palace 0
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