The Premier League returns with a tasty London derby on Saturday, as Chelsea entertain neighbours Fulham at Stamford Bridge in the early kick-off.
As we head into Gameweek 21, the two sides are separated by joint four points, with 10th-placed Chelsea leading 13th-placed Fulham in the table.
Class is permanent. 🇧🇷 pic.twitter.com/ovIgvY4YGB— Fulham Football Club (@FulhamFC) January 11, 2024
Class is permanent. 🇧🇷 pic.twitter.com/ovIgvY4YGB
Having each tasted defeat in the EFL Cup semi-finals in midweek, both teams will be eager to pick up a positive result on their return to league action.
Mauricio Pochettino’s men suffered a 1-0 defeat to Championship outfit Middlesbrough on Tuesday, despite racking up 74% possession and 18 shots at the Riverside.
Prior to that loss, the Blues enjoyed a three-game winning streak, with Premier League victories over Crystal Palace and Luton preceding a 4-0 thrashing of Preston in the FA Cup.
Not only have Chelsea avoided defeat in each of their last seven home games, but they have also avoided defeat in nine of their previous 10 at Stamford Bridge.
Granted, Pochettino’s side have struggled for consistency this season, but they appear to have established a rhythm on home soil of late.
Fulham, meanwhile, suffered a 2-1 defeat against Liverpool on Wednesday, taking the lead at Anfield before conceding two second-half goals.
Like Chelsea, the Cottagers must now overturn a deficit if they are to reach the EFL Cup final, having thrown away their advantage in the first leg.
Marco Silva’s men have been wildly inconsistent in the Premier League of late, recording three wins and three losses in their last six matches.
Having lost six of their last 10 league encounters – including three of the previous four – Fulham will be even more desperate to get one over on their rivals this weekend.
Head-to-head: Chelsea won the reverse fixture 2-0 at Craven Cottage back in October, courtesy of goals from Mykhailo Mudryk and Armando Broja.
In terms of the bigger picture, the Blues have lost just one of their last 23 Premier League matches against the Cottagers, winning eight of the previous 10.
Team news: Chelsea are still without Reece James, Ben Chilwell, Wesley Fofana, Romeo Lavia and Robert Sanchez due to injury. Meanwhile, Nicolas Jackson is at AFCON.
Fulham trio Alex Iwobi, Calvin Bassey and Fode Ballo-Tour are also at the Africa Cup of Nations, while Adama Traore and Tim Ream are out injured.
Given that Fulham have managed to win just one of their last 23 league meetings with Chelsea, the visitors are not expected to leave Stamford Bridge with anything to show for their efforts.
Forebet predicts that both teams will find the back of the net on Saturday. However, Chelsea look set to outscore the Cottagers.