World champions Chelsea begin their 2025–26 Premier League season at Stamford Bridge on Sunday afternoon, facing Crystal Palace.
The Blues are in good spirits after their recent success in the United States, where they won the Club World Cup for the second time. Under new manager Enzo Maresca, Chelsea hope to challenge for the league title after finishing fourth last season.
Because of their trip to the US, Chelsea had a shorter pre-season. They played two friendly games, beating Bayer Leverkusen and AC Milan to prepare for the new season.
Crystal Palace started their season well by winning the Community Shield against Liverpool at Wembley. Unlike Chelsea, Palace have not been very active in the transfer market so far, but their squad may change before the window closes depending on which players leave.
Match Details:
Recent Meetings Between Chelsea and Crystal Palace (Last 5 Games):
Recent Form:
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Chelsea
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Beat AC Milan 4-1 (10 Aug)
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Beat Bayer Leverkusen 2-0 (8 Aug)
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Beat PSG 3-0 (13 July)
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Beat Fluminense 2-0 (8 July)
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Beat Palmeiras 2-1 (5 July)
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Crystal Palace
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Drew 2-2, won on penalties vs Liverpool (10 Aug)
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Lost 1-0 to Augsburg (1 Aug)
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Won 3-1 vs Augsburg (1 Aug)
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Beat Millwall 1-0 (12 July)
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Beat Crawley Town 3-0 (25 July)
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Team News:
Chelsea striker Nicolas Jackson is suspended for this game after being sent off in May against Newcastle. New signing João Pedro has had a strong start and is expected to lead Chelsea’s attack. Jorrel Hato and Jamie Gittens may make their debuts.
Chelsea’s Trevoh Chalobah is fit to play, but Benoît Badiashile, Roméo Lavia, and Levi Colwill are injured. Wesley Fofana might play.
Crystal Palace could lose stars Eberechi Eze and Marc Guehi to Tottenham and Liverpool. Eze is not expected to start even if the move does not happen before Sunday.
Palace will miss Daichi Kamada, who got injured in the Community Shield, along with Eddie Nketiah, Matheus França, Cheick Doucouré, and Chadi Riad.
Chelsea will look to use their home advantage and recent success to get off to a strong start, while Crystal Palace hope to build on their Community Shield win and cause an upset.