Chelsea kick off their Premier League season with a capital clash, welcoming Crystal Palace to Stamford Bridge.
The Blues preseason has been nothing short of electric in front of goal, banging in six across their final tune-ups against Bayer Leverkusen and AC Milan. With their attacking arsenal, they’ll be fancied to come out firing this weekend.
Palace, meanwhile, enter the campaign with a cloud of uncertainty. Their appeal was rejected, meaning a Conference League campaign awaits, and speculation continues to swirl over star duo Marc Guehi and Eberechi Eze.
Still, the Eagles have shown they can rise to the big occasion, their Community Shield display against Liverpool and FA Cup final triumph last season serve as reminders that they’re capable of upsetting the odds when the stage is set.
The Sporting News looks at the key details ahead of this game, including how to watch the match, kickoff times and the latest lineup news.
Chelsea vs. Crystal Palace live stream, TV channel
Here’s how to watch this Premier League match in the U.S.:
TV channel: USA Network
Live stream: Fubo
This game is available for live TV broadcast on USA Network. Streaming options are available on Fubo.
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What time does Chelsea vs. Crystal Palace kick off?
This Premier League clash takes place at Stamford Bridge in London, England, and kicks off on Sunday, August 17, 2025 at 2:00 p.m. local time (BST).
Here’s how that time translates across the U.S.:
| Date | Kickoff time | |
| Eastern Time | Sun, Aug. 17 | 9:00 a.m. |
| Central Time | Sun, Aug. 17 | 8:00 a.m. |
| Mountain Time | Sun, Aug. 17 | 7:00 a.m. |
| Pacific Time | Sun, Aug. 17 | 6:00 a.m. |
Chelsea vs. Crystal Palace lineups, team news
As Maresca kicks off his second season in charge of Chelsea, he has the luxury of choosing from a strong squad of players. However, he expressed particular concern over how to replace the injured Levi Colwill in a news conference on Friday, which may not have gone down well with the likes of Benoit Badiashile and Wesley Fofana, who are battling to be fit and to take Colwill’s place.
Mykhailo Mudryk and Nicolas Jackson are suspended for the season opener, so either Liam Delap or Joao Pedro will lead the attack.
There could be a host of other debuts for Chelsea on Sunday, with Jorrel Hato and Estevao also in line to make their Premier League bows for their new club.
Chelsea predicted starting XI (4-2-3-1, right to left): Sanchez (GK) — James, Adarabioyo, Chalobah, Cucurella — Fernandez, Caicedo — Neto, Palmer, Gittens — Joao Pedro
Injured: Colwill (ACL), Badiashile (knock), Lavia (muscular)
Suspended: Jackson, Mudryk (doping violation)
Fresh off the back of their triumph in the Community Shield, Palace can also pick from a strong squad of players.
Oliver Glasner may well name the same team he did for Wembley, except Will Hughes should come in for Daichi Kamada, who suffered a knee injury last weekend.
More importantly, Marc Guehi and Eberechi Eze have both been linked with moves away from Palace during this transfer window, but both are in line to start the game against Chelsea.
Eze and Ismaila Sarr are two of Palace’s most creative players, so expect the duo to be at the heart of all the good things the Eagles do going forward.
Crystal Palace predicted starting XI (3-4-2-1, right to left): Henderson (GK) — Richards, Lacroix, Guehi — Munoz, Wharton, Hughes, Mitchell — Sarr, Eze — Mateta
Injured: Kporha (back), Riad (knee), Kamada (knee), Doucoure (knee), Matheus Franca (muscular), Nketiah (hamstring)
Suspended: None
Premier League fixture schedule this week
All times are in ET
Sunday, August 17
- Chelsea v Crystal Palace (9 a.m.)
- Manchester United v Arsenal (11:30 a.m.)
Monday, August 18
- Leeds United v Everton (3 p.m.)
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