There will be an exciting West London derby in the Premier League on Thursday night when Fulham hosts Chelsea at Craven Cottage.
Date/Time : 12 January, 21:00 CET
Referee: David Coote
Marco Silva’s wards are three positions and three points ahead of their closest neighbors in the standings, despite having played more games.
On very rare occasions lately, Fulham fans can proudly claim that their favorite team ranks above Chelsea in the English football pyramid, but the Cotters have firmly entered the European deck after some stunning celebratory uniforms.
Crystal Palace, Southampton and Leicester City are back from the World Cup break, Fulham dominate the Premier League and Hull City were no match for the traveling cottagers in the FA Cup over the weekend.
Shots from both sides by Laivin Kurzawa and Daniel James at half-time ensured Fulham won 2-0 and progressed to the fourth round hosting Sunderland, while Silva’s team finished seventh in Thursday’s main game. leads the league table, just five points behind fifth-placed Tottenham Hotspur.
Fulham will play grueling matches against Chelsea, Newcastle United and Tottenham in January before heading to Stamford Bridge for the second leg. Blues in early February.
Despite just two defeats at home all season, Fulham have hardly shown consistency at Craven Cottage, winning only two of their last six matches in front of their own fans, but they are certainly in a better position than away from home. . sorts opponents.
Chelsea boss Graham Potter doesn’t appear to be in immediate danger of getting the boot, but while the Englishman’s project is still struggling to materialize, disgruntled Blues fans have made their feelings clear after Manchester City’s FA Cup relegation . .
Three days ago, Chelsea gave the English champions the lead in a 1-0 Premier League defeat at Stamford Bridge, but City simply crushed the Blues on Sunday when Riyad Mahrez came on alongside Phil Foden and Julian. Thanks to the efforts of Alvarez, the score becomes 4:0.
Those who survived the trip to the Etihad Stadium and stayed until the end shouted the names of Thomas Tuchel and Roman Abramovich Potter, the slippery road continues, and the positive energy of the transfer business at the beginning of January is not enough.
Chelsea are looking to even maintain their European status, not to mention a place in the Champions League, and finish 10th in the middle of the Premier League table, 10 points clear of the top four and 10th in the relegation zone.
With a record five defeats in their last seven games in all competitions, Chelsea have also lost at Craven Cottage with just one win in their last eight Premier League games and none since beating Aston Villa on 16 October. d. they won all three points.
Chelsea snapped a seven-game winning streak against Fulham on Thursday – also 21 games unbeaten in all competitions – but as Potter quickly learned, all good things must come to an end.
Team News :
Fulham were left without Aleksandar Mitrovic in a huge blow to Marco Silva when the striker received his fifth yellow card of the season against Leicester.
Carlos Vinicius will likely replace Fulham’s mascot and Layvin Kurzawa will be in contention to open the Premier League in a second season. Willian could play against his former club.
Chelsea are in a full blown crisis. Up front, Raheem Sterling (knee), Christian Pulisic (knee) and Armando Brocha (knee) were all injured before the game, though Potter confirmed Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was “healthy” following his back injury. N’Golo Kante was still out with a hamstring injury, as was Ruben Loftus-Cheek. Defenders Reece James (knee), Wesley Fofana (knee) and Ben Chilwell (hamstring) are missing, while goaltender Edouard Mendy (finger) rounds out the extensive list of injuries.
Fulham Premier League form:
D L L W W W
Fulham form (all competitions):
L D W W W W
Chelsea Premier League form:
L L L W D L
Chelsea form (all competitions):
L L W D L L
Fulham vs Chelsea Head-to-Head and Key Facts :
- Chelsea have a strong record against Fulham, winning 50 of the 87 matches between the sides, while Fulham have won 11.
- Fulham have won just seven of their 74 league games against Chelsea, the lowest number of wins in English top-flight history.
- Chelsea are unbeaten in their last 20 Premier League games against Fulham and their previous 1-0 defeat came in 2006. March.
- Chelsea have conceded just six goals in their last 15 league games against Fulham and have not conceded more than one goal in any of their games this season.
- Chelsea have won nine of their last 11 London derbies in the English Premier League and failed to win a game last year when they drew 0-0 with Brentford last year.
Probable Lineups :
Fulham (4-2-3-1):
Leno; Tete, Adarabioyo, Ream, Robinson; Palhinha, Reed; De Cordova-Reid, Pereira, Willian; Mitrovic
Chelsea (4-3-3):
Kepa; Azpilicueta, Silva, Chalobah, Cucurella; Chukwuemeka, Zakaria, Kovacic; Ziyech, Havertz, Mount