Crystal Palace manager Tony Pulis believes that his side can head into this weekend's clash against Chelsea without "pressure" on their shoulders.

The Eagles are in desperate need of points having grabbed just 13 points from 15 games, which has placed them second from bottom in the Premier League table.

It is a different story for Chelsea though, who reside in third, five points adrift of table-toppers Arsenal heading into the weekend.

"They play fantastic football and have some top, top players there," the Croydon Advertiser quotes Pulis as saying. "We're concentrating on Chelsea then we'll move on to the next one and next one. The pressure is off us. Nobody expects us to go to Chelsea and win.

"I expect Chelsea to be a lot stronger in the second half of the season. The acid test will be what we do over next 4-5 weeks. Confidence is high at the moment. Just get out there and do your best. There is a massive gulf between what they have got and us."

Pulis took over at Selhurst Park following the departure of Ian Holloway earlier this season.