Chelsea vs Fulham
Date: 02/12/2018
K/O: 12:00
Venue: Stamford Bridge
TV: Sky Sports Football
Referee: Craig Pawson
This weekend sees the return of the West London derby to the Premier League as a rejuvenated Fulham take on a bruised and embarrassed Chelsea side looking to bounce back after lack week’s humiliation away at Wembley.
Chelsea will be looking to show their fellow title challengers that last week’s performance at Wembley against a strong Tottenham side was not their true form and they are indeed a team that should be taken seriously. Last week was flat and disappointing, not to mention the end of their unbeaten streak, so Sarri’s men will be looking to put in a strong performance on Sunday.
Ranieri will be looking to put in a good shift against his former club and hopefully in the process improve Fulham’s dismal away record. The Cottagers are on a record of one point from a possible 21 away from home, and have shipped 18 goals in the process; more than any other Premier League team.
However both sides had their records turned around last week as Fulham broke a run of seven consecutive defeats with their 3-2 win over Southampton last week, while Chelsea lost their unbeaten record at the hands of Tottenham.
Chelsea Team News
Chelsea put in a good performance midweek and had made 10 changes for that game from their last outing in the league, with only goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga keeping his place. One would presume that all the regulars would be restored to their starting positions for this Sunday.
There is a small worry over Hazard but Sarri has stated that he thinks the Belgian should be fit to play, but as Chelsea have a jam-packed winter schedule, Sarri may still decide to rest him in order to keep him fit for bigger matches.
The other conundrum is who to play up front. Sarri has stated that Giroud’s two goals in midweek are unlikely to impact his plans so it seems that Morata may well keep his spot. There is also the raging debate in midfield over who to play in the centre, Kante or Jorginho. It appears that Kante may still be on the right-hand side but we shall see how long that lasts.
Fulham Team News
Fulham have two players definitely out injured, those being Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa and Kevin McDonald, but apart from them one would assume Ranieri will name the same team that gave Fulham their first win since August 26th last time out.
Mitrovic up against David Luiz will be a confrontation that is worth keeping one’s eye on, as the Brazilian put in a shabby performance last week and the Serbian will undoubtedly challenge Luiz’s temperament and positioning.
Predicted Starting XI’s
Chelsea (4-3-3)
Kepa; Azpilicueta, Rudiger, Luiz, Alonso; Kante, Jorginho, Kovacic; Willian, Morata, Hazard.
Fulham (4-4-1-1)
Rico; Christie, Odoi, Mawson Le Marchand; Schurrle, Chambers, Seri, Sessegnon; Cairney; Mitrovic.
Prediction: Chelsea 2 Fulham 0
Unfortunately for the Cottagers, I can’t see them coming away with anything from the Bridge this weekend. Chelsea looked good in mid-week and their players will be fully rested with a point to prove after last week’s awful showing against Spurs. Fulham’s away record is awful this season and I don’t think this week will be where it starts to improve.
