"Will be a very tough game" - Paul Merson gives his prediction for Chelsea vs Crystal Palace 

Paul Merson has backed Chelsea to get back to winning ways by beating Crystal Palace in their Premier League meeting tonight (December 27).

Mauricio Pochettino's Blues suffered a disastrous 2-1 loss away at Wolverhampton Wanderers on Christmas Eve (December 24). One positive for the west Londoners to take from that game was Christopher Nkunku scoring on his Premier League debut.

However, it was a calamitous display from Chelsea and their woes were compounded when Raheem Sterling and Cole Palmer picked up bookings. This ruled the attacking duo out of their side's clash with Palace.

Merson alluded to this in his prediction for tonight's game at Stamford Bridge. The former Arsenal midfielder reckons it will be tough but that Pochettino's men will secure a vital win. He posted on X (formerly Twitter):

"Getting to the Bridge now with Freddie! No Sterling or Palmer, will be a very tough game but going for a 1-0 home win."

Chelsea currently sit 11th in the Premier League, with six wins and eight defeats in 18 games. They continue to struggle to turn their season around when getting a win under their belt.

This was the case when they beat Sheffield United 2-0 on December 16. Many expected them to push on and start climbing the table, but they suffered a setback at Molineaux.

The Blues face a Palace side that sit 15th in the league, with no win in their last five games. Roy Hodgson's Eagles haven't won at Stamford Bridge since 2017.

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Mauricio Pochettino admits Chelsea need to improve amid their nightmare start to the season

Mauricio Pochettino has regularly cut a frustrated figure on the touchline.

Pochettino has given a grim verdict on how his Blues side have fared during the first half of the season. The Argentine coach acknowledged that his troops were bottom, alluding to them sitting in the bottom half of the table. He said (via GOAL):

"The performance from the beginning of the season is not bad. We could have said it’s very good, but in terms of competing we are at the bottom. That is why we are not in a better position in the table."

There have been glimpses of promise from Chelsea during the campaign, especially in draws against Arsenal (2-2) and Manchester City (4-4). But, Pochettino feels his side need to compete more:

"Football is about having all the quality and knowledge in your set-ups, the way you press and build from the back, and so on. Then at some point during the 90 minutes, you need to compete: that is the moment you need to show you can play another [style of] football. We need to improve there."

The west Londoners finished last season 12th in the league and many expected a vast improvement under Pochettino. That hasn't happened with the Stamford Bridge outfit struggling for consistency.

Chelsea are in the Carabao Cup semi-finals, facing EFL Championship outfit Middlesbrough. That is one positive the club can take heading into the turn of the year and with European qualification becoming increasingly unlikely.