Chelsea will begin the new season with plenty of excitement and expectation around them. In particular, Chris Sutton expects two Blues stars to cause havoc on opposition teams.
The Blues get underway for the 2025/26 season on Sunday afternoon by hosting London rivals Crystal Palace in the Premier League.
Enzo Maresca’s side go into the new campaign off the back of winning the Club World Cup and Conference League last term. Meanwhile, upcoming opponents Palace are riding the wave of beating Liverpool on penalties last weekend in the Community Shield final.
Tony Cascarino thinks Chelsea can challenge for the Premier League. If that’s true, they should be eyeing up three points at home to Palace this weekend.
Date Competition Result
4 January 2025 Premier League Crystal Palace 1-1 Chelsea
1 September 2024 Premier League Chelsea 1-1 Crystal Palace
12 February 2024 Premier League Crystal Palace 1-3 Chelsea
27 December 2023 Premier League Chelsea 2-1 Crystal Palace
The previous four meetings between Chelsea and Crystal Palace
Chris Sutton working as a pundit for the Scottish Cup match between Rangers and Celtic.
Photo by Richard Sellers/Sportsphoto/Allstar via Getty Images
Chris Sutton super excited by Joao Pedro and Cole Palmer
Ahead of the new season, Chris Sutton claims he’s majorly impressed by Chelsea’s deal to sign Joao Pedro this summer. In particular, he’s tipping him and Blues teammate Cole Palmer to torment plenty of Premier League defences.
When discussing Blues attacker Pedro, Sutton told BBC’s Monday Night Club: “He’s had a great start at Chelsea. He seems to be a really smart piece of business… He’s versatile in that he can play a number of different positions. I always think of him as a really highly intelligent player, and playing with the likes of Palmer, who’s been playing just in behind him, blimey, they are going to be a real handful.”
Even though Pedro only joined the Blues from Brighton at the start of July, he’s already a fan favourite at Stamford Bridge. The 23-year-old forward scored three goals in three games at the Club World Cup en route to the trophy, plus he scored in each of the team’s pre-season friendlies.
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As for Palmer, the 23-year-old attacking midfielder is about to begin his third season at Stamford Bridge, where he’s the talisman of the club.
Pedro admits he’s worked closely with Palmer during their short time together, and we’ve already noticed a relationship between the intelligent attackers on the pitch.
Cole Palmer, Joao Pedro and Andrey Santos celebrate during Chelsea's Club World Cup fixture vs Palmeiras
Photo by JUAN MABROMATA/AFP via Getty Images
Joao Pedro can help Cole Palmer break his own record
In his first two seasons at Chelsea, Palmer has been a creative genius as well as a key goalscorer. The England international provided 15 assists across all competitions during his debut campaign with the Blues, which he followed up last term with 14 assists across all competitions.
With Pedro leading the line, supported by Liam Delap, we’re confident that Palmer can smash 20 assists in the upcoming season.
Joe Cole is amazed by Joao Pedro, suggesting that Chelsea don’t yet realise just how good he actually is.
The Brazilian striker has slotted into Maresca’s XI seamlessly. Most importantly, the combination that he’s developing with chief creator Palmer bodes well for the new season.