Ex-Premier League stars agree on Chelsea vs Crystal Palace prediction amid Pochettino pressure

Chelsea are back in action on Wednesday as they prepare for a festive all-London affair against Crystal Palace at Stamford Bridge. The Blues will certainly be hoping the Christmas cheer can rub off on them after a poor campaign so far, with a new year bringing renewed hopes and expectations.

The Blues sit in mid-table, despite their ambitions of pushing for European football, after a whole host of inconsistent results and performances across the first half of the season. Despite progressing to the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup last week, and earning a favourable tie, they followed that up with a defeat to Wolves on Christmas Eve.

They now host the Eagles in search of another three points to steer them in the right direction and alleviate some pressure on Mauricio Pochettino. The alternative result could see the Blues further cemented into the middle of the pack and without any sign of a long-term recovery.

"We need to win," the head coach said as he rallied his troops during the press conference. "We need to perform. We need to go one better than today. The performances from the beginning of this season have been not bad, we can’t say they’ve been very good.

"In football it’s all about having the knowledge, the quality, the set-ups, the press and the way we play (out) from the back, but then during the 90 minutes you need to compete. That is where we need to improve."

As usual, the football pundits have come out in their droves to try and predict the upcoming fixtures and have given their thoughts on whether Chelsea will earn a huge three points or be condemned to yet more crisis. With that said, here's a look at how some see the game going.

Mark Lawrenson

Former Liverpool defender Mark Lawrenson believes that Chelsea can get back to winning ways when they face Crystal Palace on Wednesday. Despite the Blues struggling with injuries, Lawrenson believes they have the depth to deal with it while the Eagles don't in the busy festive schedule

"I think Chelsea will win this," he told Paddy Power. "The thing with Crystal Palace is that they lack the depth. We all know these games come along think and fast and Chelsea have serious depth and can rotate. Palace, especially with all their injuries, are down to the bare bones."

Score prediction: Chelsea 2-0 Crystal Palace

Chris Sutton

Ex-Premier League striker Chris Sutton is also backing the west Londoners to come out on top, but in a clash that will be slightly tighter. He told BBC Sport: "I hope I do better at predicting Chelsea's results in 2024 than I have managed this year. They have had some odd defeats at home, as well as away - so the fact they are at Stamford Bridge doesn't really help me much.

"Crystal Palace can cause them problems on the break, but I am going to go with Mauricio Pochettino's side to edge this one... and you know probably know what that means."

Score prediction: Chelsea 2-1 Crystal Palace