Paul Merson thinks Chelsea could drop points in their opening Premier League fixture against Crystal Palace this weekend.

Writing in his column for Sportskeeda, Merson said he was impressed with Palace’s performance at Wembley last Sunday and he thinks the Eagles could grab a draw at Stamford Bridge:

“Palace were incredible when they came from 2-1 down to win the Community Shield against Liverpool on penalties.”

“I think this is a hard game for Chelsea and purely as a fan. I’m wishing they win 2-1. In reality, this could be a draw, but I genuinely hope I’m wrong!”

What score has Merson predicted for Chelsea vs Crystal Palace?

The Sky Sports pundit has gone with a 1-1 draw, which would be a very disappointing result to begin the season for the Blues.

Enzo Maresca’s side are heading into the new campaign on a high after winning the Club World Cup last month, and many are tipping them to have a strong season.

Of course, after Palace won the Community Shield against the reigning Premier League champions, they will also be in confident mood, so Maresca’s players should heed Merson’s warnings about Sunday’s opponents.

Chelsea vs Crystal Palace team news

The Blues are likely to have Trevoh Chalobah (fatigue) and Wesley Fofana (hamstring) in contention, but Romeo Lavia (muscular), Benoit Badiashile (knock) and Levi Colwill (ACL) have been ruled out due to injury.

Nicolas Jackson is serving the last game of his three-match ban for his sending off against Newcastle back in May, while Mykhailo Mudryk remains suspended pending an investigation into a failed drugs test.

Marc Guehi (fatigue) is expected to be available for Palace but Daichi Kamada (knee), Caleb Kporha (back), Eddie Nketiah (thigh), Matheus Franca (adductor), Cheick Doucoure (knee) and Chadi Riad (ACL) are all on the treatment table.

Read more about the Chelsea First Team Squad for 2025/26 here