Chelsea will host Fulham in the Premier League on Friday, looking to get back to winning ways after a goalless draw against Liverpool.
Chelsea are currently tenth on the Premier League table, and they have picked up just one win from their last five league matches heading into the game against Fulham.
Graham Potter is under a lot of pressure to get his side firing on all cylinders again. And it will be interesting to see if Chelsea can pick up all three points against their London rivals.
Meanwhile, Fulham come into this game on the back of two consecutive league defeats against Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United. They will be desperate to bounce back strongly. And given the fact that Chelsea have been quite inconsistent this season, they will fancy their chances of grinding out a positive away result here.
Fulham are seventh in the standings, and Marco Silva will be hoping to guide his side to European football this season. It remains to be seen whether the visitors can pull off an upset at Stamford Bridge. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News and Tactics
Chelsea
Watch Graham Potter look ahead to our game with Fulham! https://t.co/ETeRxWdFBh
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) February 2, 2023
Chelsea have a number of injury problems to deal with. And they will be without the services of Armando Broja, Christian Pulisic, N’Golo Kante, Raheem Sterling, Denis Zakaria Edouard Mendy and Wesley Fofana. Joao Felix picked up a red card on his debut and he is set to miss out.
The hosts come into this game on the back of a hectic January transfer window. And Graham Potter has many new signings at his disposal this week. Meanwhile, the Blues are likely to line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Kepa Arrizabalaga in goal.
Cesar Azpilicueta and Marc Cucurella are likely to line up as the full-backs here, and they will look to add creativity from the wide areas. Thiago Silva is expected to partner Benoit Badiashile at the heart of the Chelsea defence.
In the midfield pivot, Mateo Kovacic is expected to partner club record signing Enzo Fernandez, who completed a move to Chelsea on deadline day. Hakim Ziyech saw his move to Paris Saint-Germain collapse on deadline day and he could be handed a start here on the right wing.
January signing Mykhaylo Mudryk is likely to start on the left, with Mason Mount operating as the central attacking midfielder behind Kai Havertz, who is set to lead the line.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Kepa; Azpilicueta, Silva, Badiashile, Cucurella; Fernandez, Kovacic; Ziyech, Mount, Mudryk; Havertz
Fulham
Marco Silva is expected to field his side in a 4-2-3-1 formation as well, with Bernd Leno in goal. Kenny Tete and Antonee Robinson are expected to start as the full-backs, and they will look to contribute to the offensive side of the play during encounter attacks.
Issa Diop will partner Tim Ream at the heart of Fulham’s defence. In the midfield pivot, Harrison Reed is expected to partner with the Portuguese midfielder Joao Palhinha.
While the Portuguese midfielder will look to break up the play and win the ball back for his side, Reed will look to sit deep and recycle the possession. In the wide areas, Bobby de Cordova-Reid and Willian will look to add creativity and flair.
Andreas Pereira is likely to start in behind the striker in the number ten role, and Aleksandar Mitrovic will lead the line for the Cottagers.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Leno; Tete, Diop, Ream, Robinson; Reed, Palhinha; De Cordova-Reid, Pereira, Willian; Mitrovic
Key Stats
- Chelsea are undefeated in their last 16 home matches against Fulham in all competitions.
- Chelsea have kept a clean sheet in six of their last seven home matches against Fulham in all competitions.
- Chelsea have scored at least two goals in their last three home matches against Fulham in all competitions.
- Fulham are unbeaten in four of their last six matches across all competitions.
- The last time these two sides met in January, Fulham picked up a 2-1 win at home.
Player to Watch
Mykhaylo Mudryk
The Ukrainian winger impressed with his cameo against Liverpool in his last league outing, and he is our man to watch this week. Mudryk can cause a lot of problems with his pace and flair.
The Liverpool defenders struggled against his unpredictability, and he will look to add some much-needed cutting edge in the final third for Chelsea here. The youngster has been in fine form this season, and Chelsea will need him to deliver the goods to break down a stubborn Fulham defence.
Prediction
Chelsea 2-1 Fulham
The Blues are undoubtedly the favourites heading into this contest regardless of their form this season. Furthermore, they have an exceptional home record against Fulham and should be able to extend it with a win this week.
Fulham have done quite well this season. But they are lacking in confidence after two back-to-back defeats, and this will be a tough outing for them. It will be a close contest but the Blues have enough quality to come out on top eventually. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-1 win for Chelsea here.
