Chelsea vs Fulham

Stamford Bridge is the venue as Chelsea and Fulham lock horns in an all-London Premier League showdown.

An uneventful 0-0 home draw against fellow mid-table strugglers Liverpool last time out left Chelsea at only two wins from seven competitive matches since the restart (D2, L3). Despite hovering a whopping ten points adrift of fourth-placed Manchester United, the ‘Blues’ were proactive in the January transfer window, splashing out as much as £288 million to reinforce their squad. It remains to be seen whether a 13-day gap between fixtures has been enough for manager Graham Potter to put all pieces into place as he aims to post his first-ever personal H2H win over Fulham after four failed attempts (D2, L2). Chelsea’s resilient defensive form at the Bridge could come in handy, with the ‘Pensioners’ starting this round as the only side yet to concede a first-half goal at home in the Premier League this season.

On the other hand, visiting Fulham have experienced an evident dip in form in the lead-up to this trip, going from three consecutive Premier League wins to back-to-back 1-0 defeats. Marco Silva’s men have consequently lost significant ground on the European spots, falling seven points adrift of fifth-placed Tottenham Hotspur. But a 2-1 home win in the reverse fixture in mid-January puts the ‘Cottagers’ on the cusp of a historic achievement as they could complete their first league double over Chelsea for the first time in the 38th different campaign in which they’ve met. Scoring the opening goal could be crucial, considering Fulham’s last three Premier League away matches have seen the winner keep a clean sheet (W2, L1).