Fulham vs Chelsea
Chelsea head into their West London derby against neighbours Fulham in poor form. They have lost four of their last six Premier League matches, a run which has seen them drop to ninth in the table.
On paper, taking on a Fulham side in the relegation zone looks seems like the perfect match for Chelsea to snap their recent slide.
However, the Cottagers’ Premier League 2021 results have improved of late, and they will be eager to extend Chelsea’s current crisis at Craven Cottage.
Talking Points
Fulham finally putting up a fight
Fulham did it again. Despite the relatively late notice for their rescheduled match against Tottenham, the Cottagers were able to overcome the Premier League 2021 betting odds to hold Spurs to a 1-1 draw. Ivan Cavaleiro equalised 16 minutes from time after Harry Kane had put Tottenham in front.
It was a spirited performance from a Fulham side that needed 120 minutes to get past Queens Park Rangers in another West London derby in the FA Cup.
Scott Parker’s side has now drawn each of their last five league matches, a stretch that began with a 1-1 draw against champions Liverpool.
Fulham have significantly changed their playing style; they now choose to play a more defensive system, and it has paid dividends. Their defence, which looked so poor to start the season, has improved markedly. They’ve conceded just three goals during their last five matches.
After taking points from Liverpool and Spurs, Scott Parker is unlikely to make any major changes to his approach against Chelsea.
Despite being at home, they will likely sit deep and dare Chelsea’s struggling attack to break them down, while the likes of Cavaleiro and Ademola Lookman try to hit the Blues on the counterattack.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek — who started up top alongside Cavaleiro against Spurs — will be unavailable, though, as he is on-loan from Chelsea.
Chelsea’s chance to end slump
Chelsea will be in action in the Premier League for the first time since their 3-1 defeat to Manchester City. That was Chelsea’s fourth defeat in their last six league matches, a slump which has seen them drop out of title contention.
Because of their recent struggles, manager Frank Lampard elected to play quite a strong starting XI for their third-round FA Cup tie against fourth-tier side Morecambe, which they easily won 4-0.
Lampard will be pleased to see the struggling German duo of Timo Werner and Kai Havertz both get on the scoresheet. Werner had not scored for Chelsea in his last 12 meetings, with his last goal coming back on November 7th against Sheffield United.
However, it remains to be seen whether Lampard will stick with Werner and/or Havertz against Fulham. The Chelsea boss has a wealth of attacking options to choose from, especially on the wing, with Hakim Ziyech back fit and Callum Hudson-Odoi playing well of late.
On the other end, Chelsea’s defence has been far from convincing. They have kept just one clean sheet in their last seven outings. But they will have a great chance to keep a clean sheet against a Fulham side that has reined in its attack in recent weeks.
History
Chelsea have completely dominated their west London neighbours, with 48 wins to Fulham’s 11. Meanwhile, the two sides have drawn 26 times.
Fulham’s last victory over Chelsea came all the way back in 2006. It’s also the Cottagers’ only win over the Blues in the last 30 years.
Chelsea have won each of the last five west London derbies against Fulham. They did the double over the Cottagers last season, with Gonzalo Higuain and Jorginho scoring in a 2-1 win at Craven Cottage.
Betting Tip
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Fulham vs Chelsea | First Half 1X2 Chelsea @ 2.04 |
| January 07, 01:30 (GMT+8) |
SBOTOP odds have Chelsea installed as 1.45 favourites, with Fulham priced at 5.40 to pick up a shock home win. Meanwhile, a draw is 4.40.
While Fulham’s recent improvement has been laudable, it has to come to an end at some point. The same goes for Chelsea’s struggles. And I anticipate this will be the match where the Blues finally come good.
Fulham will no doubt be feeling a bit fatigued after their first two London derbies. And Chelsea will likely come out with a stronger sense of urgency as they look to get their season back on track.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR ( ) BETS ARE WORTH: |
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 = €20 (Highly confident) |
= €10 (CONFIDENT) |
= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT) |
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Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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