Chelsea vs Fulham: Match Preview & predictions
Chelsea vs Fulham: Match Preview & predictions. Boxing Day presents us with another west London derby when Fulham make the short trip to take on Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
There is more distance between these two sides on the Premier League table than there is on a map. Chelsea sit up in second, seven places ahead of their visitors, whose Craven Cottage home sits just over one mile away.
However, both teams find themselves in strong form in recent outings. Indeed, no side has picked up more points than Chelsea over their last five Premier League games, while Fulham are unbeaten over the same stretch after facing Tottenham, Arsenal and Liverpool.
Here’s all you need to know about the upcoming clash between these local rivals.
What time does Chelsea vs Fulham kick-off?
Location: London, England
Stadium: Stamford Bridge
Date: Thursday 26 December
Kick-off Time: 15:00 GMT / 10:00 ET / 07:00 PT
Referee: Sam Barrott
VAR: Paul Tierney
Chelsea vs Fulham H2H Record (Last Five Games)
Chelsea: 3 wins
Fulham: 1 win
Draws: 1
Last meeting: Chelsea 1-0 Fulham (13 January 2024) – Premier League
Chelsea team news:
Enzo Maresca will welcome left-back Marc Cucurella back into the starting lineup after the Spaniard served his one game suspension, with Malo Gusto likely to return to the right side of defence and Axel Disasi potentially dropping to the bench.
Reece James has been back in partial training recently but is not yet nearing a return from his hamstring injury, meaning he will remain on the sidelines alongside centre-back duo Wesley Fofana and Benoit Badiashile.
Romeo Lavia will hope to make the bench but there will be no Mykhailo Mudryk, who has been provisionally suspended after a positive doping test.
Chelsea predicted lineup vs Fulham
Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Sanchez; Gusto, Tosin, Colwill, Cucurella; Caicedo, Fernandez; Neto, Palmer, Sancho; Jackson.
Fulham team news:
Fulham will also welcome a big name back from suspension as Andreas Pereira is free to start at the top of midfield once again.
Both Sander Berge and Sasa Lukic limped off injured last time out against Southampton and may not recover in time for this one. Kenny Tete, Harrison Reed and Reiss Nelson are all expected to miss out.
Fulham predicted lineup vs Chelsea
Fulham (4-2-3-1): Leno; Castagne, Diop, Bassey, Robinson; Lukic, Smith Rowe; Wilson, Pereira, Iwobi; Jimenez.
Chelsea vs Fulham score prediction:
Fulham have proven to be a tough test for the Premier League’s elite recently and the Cottagers will likely cause the same sort of problems for Chelsea, whose stalemate with Everton hints at a vulnerability against a stubborn defence.
Unlike Everton, however, Fulham have been really going for it in their last few games, scoring once against Arsenal and putting two past Liverpool. With Chelsea’s defence not at its strongest, there could be some joy for Marco Silva‘s side.
Expect a gritty clash between two London rivals, but the home side are expected to come out on top of this one.
Prediction: Chelsea 3-1 Fulham
