The Blues will aim to build on a terrible start to 2024 and earn their first Premier League win of the year after the winter break when they take on crystal palace at Selhurt park on saturday.
To sum up Enzo Maresca’s men lost their last two fixtures and slipped down the table significantly behind the league front runners Liverpool.
Chelsea were admired and cherished after attaining a string of eight victories in as many matches after the November international break but they are currently 3-match winless run, with humiliating losses to Fulham and Ipswich Town.
They were unable to do so in the final game before Christmas when they took on Everton, and then they were again on the receiving end of a last-gasp effort when they faced Fulham at Stamford Bridge that saw Blues handing victory to Ipswich at Portman Road in their first win since they were promoted to the top flight.
Manager Maresca stated on record as saying that he thought that results like this was inevitable to happen sometime in the future and it most probably will be the death knell to their tenuous title defense; Chelsea are now down in fourth place, a staggering 10 points behind Liverpool with a game in hand less at the top of the table.
For the Ipswich performance especially they enjoyed more possession and a greater variety of shots than their opponents, but very rarely did they seem like a side which could pose a threat as the Tractor fell 2-0.
Chelsea also could not find the back of the net at Everton, meaning the team is now at risk of going three consecutive league away games without scoring for the first time since January 2015 under the previous manager, Maurizio Sarli.
A defeat could also see them leave the top four, provided Newcastle United defeat Tottenham. Hotspur with a corresponding change in the goal difference.
Given that Palace has won 12 of their 15 Premier League travels to Selhurst Park, which is the joint-highest victory ratio any team has achieved against another in the Premier League when making at least 10 journeys, they may be Chelsea's perfect opponents as they are desperate to get back to their previous level of play.
Chelsea's 14-match winning streak came to a stop in September with a 1-1 draw, but Palace hasn't avoided losing both of its meetings with the Blues in a season since before the Premier League.
Chelsea has defeated Palace 24 times in the Premier League, more than any other team. However, their current performance gives them hope that they may reverse that record.
Oliver Glasner's team has now lost only two of their last 11 league games after dropping five and won none of their first eight games this season.
But the fact that both of those losses—against Fulham and Arsenal—took place at home in London derbies does not auger well for this one.
The next five weeks will be crucial for the Eagles' season because Palace will play out-of-form Leicester City, West Ham United, Manchester United, and Everton in addition to the infamously bad traveling team Brentford, after this match and their FA Cup adventure.
Marc Guehi, the club captain and a former Chelsea academy graduate, will be eligible to rejoin Palace after missing last week's victory over Southampton due to suspension.
Adam Wharton, the England international, is still sidelined due to a groin injury, so a comeback is doubtful at this time.
But even without Wharton, the Palace squad has settled in nicely, with Ismaila Sarr providing plenty of offensive danger and Will Hughes and Jefferson Lerma establishing a strong midfield tandem.
Maresca used the trip to Ipswich to give some of his Conference League players, including Christopher Nkunku, Joao Felix, and Filip Jorgensen, starts. However, following a humiliating loss, the Chelsea manager is expected to go back to the starting lineup that had been in the spotlight throughout December.
Robert Sanchez, Nicolas Jackson, and Pedro Neto, who also missed the loss at Portman Road, are expected to return after Jorgensen gave up a penalty that gave Ipswich the lead.
