A 3-1 humbling against Man City last time out made it four defeats out of six in the Premier League for Chelsea. After a morale boosting win against Morecambe in the FA Cup and a week to rest, head coach Frank Lampard will have his team fit and firing for the West London derby, Chelsea vs Fulham, at Craven Cottage. Facing a team battling relegation already, but in buoyant mood after a crucial point away to Tottenham, Fulham will be no easy prospect. Can the Blues turn things around and get back to getting W’s? Or will the Cottagers prove spoilers supreme?
Chelsea vs Fulham Recent Form
Chelsea
Chelsea’s most recent game came in the FA Cup against League Two outfit Morecambe. A 4-0 success at Stamford Bridge proved to be a good day out for several Chelsea players. Two of those players are the club’s latest German imports, Kai Havertz and Timo Werner, who have been a bit off colour lately. Both managed to get on the scoresheet, get valuable minutes and begin to play themselves into something like good form.
Another who got a run out in that fixture was Hakim Ziyech. The Moroccan had picked up a hamstring injury last month and was a real miss down the right-hand side. Nonetheless, his wand of a left foot was there for all to see against Morecambe as he put valuable minutes into his legs and contributed ably.
The side against Morecambe was a strong one but will probably look quite different against Fulham as starters like Thiago Silva, Edouard Mendy, Reece James, and Ben Chilwell look to return to the side. N’Golo Kanté will, however, miss the game due to suspension having picked up five yellow cards this season.
With the gap to Manchester United at the top currently sitting at 10 points, a very real risk of being cut adrift in the race for a top four position and murmurings about his job beginning already, this game is another that Lampard will need his team to win to remain relevant in the race for the top and to quieten the critics.
Fulham
Fulham go into this game off the back of their fifth draw in succession. That made seem like a dour statistic but the fact that draw came at the home of José Mourinho’s mightily impressive Spurs side, and manager Scott Parker has settled on a system that appears to work for his team.
The 3-5-2 formation they play in has given them the right balance in defence and attack, seemingly stopping the rot of concessions defensively. In players like Ademola Lookman and Ivan Cavaleiro, Fulham have dangerous forwards who will be chomping at the bit against a Chelsea team low on confidence and patchy in form.
A point to note as well is that, in addition to improved defensive displays, the extra attacking width that this formation affords Fulham’s wingbacks Antonee Robinson and one of Bobby Reid or Kenny Tete is something to consider.
Parker will no doubt be upset to be without on loan attacking midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek who is ineligible against his parent club. However, he has plenty of attacking options to choose from in his stead.
So far this season, Fulham have been looking upward and clinging on to hope that they can elevate themselves above the drop zone. With just two points separating the Cottagers and Brighton above them and possessing the luxury of two games in hand, the big scalp that Chelsea could be would go a long way to building real momentum towards Premier League survival.
Chelsea vs Fulham – Player to Watch: Callum Hudson-Odoi
He has been in, he has been out, and he has spent time looking on from the bench, unused and, arguably, underappreciated. But over the last month, Callum Hudson-Odoi has begun to play himself into the kind of form that all Chelsea fans had been hoping he would find.
Having overcome so many obstacles to get to where he is now, Hudson-Odoi is proving to be one of if not Chelsea’s most reliable winger. With Werner’s patchy form added on to Ziyech and Pulisic’s topsy turvy time with injury, the academy graduate has no better an opportunity than now to stake his claim for a permanent place in the Blues’ first XI.
His pace, directness, dribbling ability and vision have proven to be particularly handy at unlocking defenses thus far. He is a player in form and one who arguably must start in his favoured wing position now.
Chelsea vs Fulham Predicted Lineups
Chelsea
With Kanté out through suspension, Lampard faces a conundrum in defensive midfield. Does he go with Billy Gilmour’s energy, control and enthusiasm or does he back the temperament, experience, and calm of Jorginho? Or, perhaps more drastically, does he abandon his 4-3-3 entirely and perhaps revisit a 4-2-3-1?
It is more than likely Lampard will not abandon a formation that has become fundamental to what Chelsea do, how they move the ball and how they attack this season. But it is notable that Gilmour enjoyed his trust against Morecambe and Jorginho was not even given time on the pitch.
Expecting the young Scot to start is bold, but seeing the return of regulars Thiago Silva, Ben Chilwell, Edouard Mendy and Reece James will almost be a certainty.
This is a big game for Frank Lampard, a local derby against Chelsea’s closest geographic rivals and it is one that Chelsea need to win.
Chelsea Predicted XI: Mendy; James, Zouma, Silva, Chilwell; Gilmour, Havertz, Mount; Hudson-Odoi, Werner, Ziyech.
Fulham
The second of three consecutive fixtures against a so-called ‘Big Six’ side (with Manchester United to follow), manager Scott Parker will be sweating over the fitness of key men Aleksandar Mitrovic, Mario Lemina and Tom Cairney.
Cairney, though in and out of the side, has the capacity to be the creative spark for Fulham from midfield in Loftus-Cheek’s absence. Parker will be hoping that key man up front, Ivan Cavaleiro, adds to his goal tally and provides the buffer for the livewire Ademola Lookman to cause havoc in the opposition defense.
One man who will be more than eager to impress, though, is former Blue Ola Aina. The defender has proven to be very impressive during his stint back in London and will look to remind his former employers what they’re missing out on come gameday.
A month ago, perhaps this was a game Fulham would go into with their heads down. Such has the transformation been that they will head into this one fancying their chances against a Chelsea side trying to find its feet again.
Fulham Predicted XI: Areola; Aina, Anderson, Adarabioyo; Reid, Cairney, Reed, Anguissa, Robinson; Cavaleiro, Lookman.
Chelsea vs Fulham: Final Thoughts
- When?: Saturday 16th January
- What?: Fulham vs. Chelsea
- Where?: Craven Cottage
- Kick-off: 17:30pm (GMT)
- Match Officials: Referee: Peter Bankes. Assistants: Neil Davies, James Mainwaring. Fourth official: Mike Dean. VAR: Jarred Gillett. Assistant VAR: Adam Nunn.
Written and Edited by Dan Hill (@idanknow05)