This weekends action sees the FA Cup third round, but the next Premier League game sees the West London derby as Chelsea host Fulham at Stamford Bridge on Saturday 13th January at 12:30.
Chelsea aim to leap out of tenth position after two straights wins after their shock 2-1 loss to Wolves on Christmas Eve, with the festive period also seeing them progress to the Semi-Finals of the EFL Carabao Cup.
Just 1.5 miles separates the two stadiums, so Fulham make a short hop to their neighbours in their first league game in 2024, fresh from a New Years Eve 2-1 win over Arsenal at Craven Cottage.
Mykhaylo Mudryk and Armando Broja grabbed their first Premier League goal of the season when they met in the reverse fixture in October. Although Chelsea failed to beat Fulham in both league games last season, the Blues have eight wins from their previous ten meetings.
Mauricio Pochettino’s charges ended last year with four wins from five and six consecutive home games unbeaten despite a flurry of injured and returning players.
The campaign looks to be taking a more positive turn at Stamford Bridge after they began the season with one win and a draw from the first three league games. This was followed by three winless games during which they didn’t score but the aforementioned win at Fulham put them on course for a win and draw against Burnley and Arsenal respectively.
A 2-0 win for Brentford against Chelsea dampened the mood around SW6 but they bounced back with a 4-1 win at Tottenham Hotspur and then another eye-catching 4-4 draw against Manchester City. The heavy 4-1 loss to Newcastle set the tone for three consecutive defeats on the road to Manchester United, Everton and Wolves, yet Chelsea won at Luton in their final game of 2023.
There is some momentum gained in Chelsea’s recent home form and the Fulham game is sandwiched by each team’s Carabao Cup semi-final ties, with Fulham facing a tricky trip to Liverpool and Chelsea having an easier game away at Middlesbrough.
Hence, the Blues will be desperate to begin a crucial year on a high and utilize the array of talent in their squad for these essential games. They’re six points off sixth place with a chance to win the League Cup and earn a European qualification spot.
On the other hand, Fulham are seven points worse off than they were after 20 games last season, so there is ground to make.
That top-half finish in the 2022-23 campaign always seemed unlikely to be repeated after the late departure of Aleksandar Mitrovic left a huge goalscoring void, although Raúl Jiménez has hit a purple patch with 5 premier league goals from his last 7 games.
The 2023/24 season kicked off with a 1-0 win at Everton but they fell to Brentford before gaining some pride via Joao Palhinha’s late equalizer against Arsenal with a man sent off.
Manchester City thrashed Marco Silva’s men 5-1 at the Etihad Stadium then they beat Luton next time out. There was only one win and two draws from the following seven league games as alarm bells started ringing but Fulham got the better of Wolves 3-2 thanks to Willian’s 94th minute penalty.
The Cottagers were similarly emphatic in the next game and were ten minutes away from another famous win at Liverpool before the Reds turned around the result to win 4-3. Fulham showed incredible vigour as they won 5-0 in consecutive matches against Nottingham Forest and West Ham.
However, Marco Silva’s side squandered all that momentum as they failed to score in the next three defeats to Newcastle, Burnley and Bournemouth. The year ended most spectacularly as Fulham secured a comeback win over Arsenal on New Year’s Eve.
The Cottagers are now 13th in the league and will begin the year cautiously but confident in their ability to secure significant results.
Their steely determination will be much required in the coming games but it is pertinent that Fulham take their chances when they arrive. The recent win over the Gunners is nonetheless what the doctor ordered.
Match tickets
This game is scheduled for Saturday, 13 January 2024 with kick-off at 12:30 PM UK time. Match tickets are available for sale on each club’s website with priority allocation for members and season-ticket holders.
Stamford Bridge will be abuzz for this London Derby and Chelsea’s recent unbeaten run at home makes it an exciting prospect, so expect the stands to be at total capacity. The home fans will aim to intimidate their visitors while hoping the players follow suit.
Purchasing Chelsea vs Fulham tickets could prove difficult but we advise supporters desperate to attend the game to check for theirs on a ticket resale site.
Team news
Romeo Lavia suffered a knock during his debut against Crystal Palace so his availability is in question. He joins Lesley Ugochukwu (hamstring) and Robert Sanchez (knee) as doubts for the Fulham match. Wesley Fofana (knee), Marc Cucurella (ankle) and Reece James (hamstring) are nevertheless long-term injury casualties for Chelsea.
On the positive side, Trevoh Chalobah, Carney Chukwuemeka and Ben Chilwell are nearing returns after resuming whole team training.
Fode Ballo-Toure, Calvin Bassey and Alex Iwobi will all miss out on Fulham having joined their national teams for the Africa Cup of Nations.
Meanwhile, Adama Traore and Tim Ream are close to returning from injury and should be available for the short trip to Stamford Bridge.
Line-ups
Chelsea’s recent run of form is setting a benchmark for selection and returning players will be relishing the chance to fight for their spots.
Christopher Nkunku could receive his second Premier League start as Nicolas Jackson is unavailable due to the AFCON. Noni Madueke would also be eyeing a start after back-to-back goals in the league.
Chelsea: Petrovic; Gusto, Disasi, Badiashile, Colwill; Caicedo, Gallagher; Madueke, Palmer, Sterling; Nkunku
Raul Jimenez is a man in form having netted five goals in his last seven appearances. Fulham will look to supply him as his scoring prowess could be critical to them raising the table.
Fulham: Leno; Castagne, Tosin, Diop, Robinson; Palhinha, Cairney; Decordova-Reid, Pereira, Willian; Jimenez
Prediction
This is set to be an aggressive game but Chelsea are used to beating Fulham at Stamford Bridge. They are counting on the home support and their good showings in recent weeks.
Meanwhile, the Cottagers will aim to limit the spaces and frustrate their hosts who have struggled with physical opponents who sit in a deep block.
Chelsea 2-1 Fulham
