Fulham is running against the time to save their top flight campaign this season. Scott Parker’s side are still stuck on the 18th with seven-point difference from Brighton above them. They need to start picking up a win again to end their winless run which has stretched up to five games. Unfortunately, they have to travel to Stamford Brigde to take on Chelsea which also needs more point to secure their UCL spot.
The teams’ previous matches
The Blues sealed an important win in another London derby against West Ham last weekend. The Hammers’ positive trend, including their home games abruptly ended as Timo Werner found the back of the net. It was only his sixth goals in Premier League this season.
Meanwhile, The Cottagers’s negative results finally came to an end when they faced off Arsenal in their last outing. Alexander Mitrovic and Co were able to hold The Gunners in a 1-1 draw on the road. Josh Maja’s penalty opened the scoring before Eddie Nketiah scored a late equaliser to deny Fulham’s prospective win.
Possible tactic
Thomas Tuchel is likely to stick to his 3-4-2-1. However, there might be a chance for him to rotate some names in the squad. The former Bayer Leverkusen man Kai Havertz might have his turn in the starting XI accompanied by Hakim Ziyech and Christian Pulisic. Mason Mount could be rested at the first half.
Scott Parker really has to work hard to find the most suitable system to hold Chelsea from scoring plus enable his team to steal a chance to win on the road. He could attempt to deploy 5-3-2 which can also transform to 4-4-2 to lure The Blues out of their backline. The latter formation worked quite well against Arsenal. Thus, there is no reason for him not employing it again here. Alexander Mitrovic and Josh Maja or Ademola Lookman shall occupy the frontmen role. In the midfield area, Frank Zambo Anguissa, Mario Lemina and Bobby de Cordova-Reid could operate here as the first wall of their defence line and anchormen to build the swift counter attack. Several names will be unavailable here, due to the clause of not facing the parent club such as Robin Loftus Creek, while the rest are injured such as Tom Cairney, Terence Kongolo and Marek Rodak.
Players to watch
Chelsea’s top performers this season is Mason Mount who has contributed six goals and three assists in EPL. Some other key men to watch are the wing back Ben Chillwell, the goalkeeper Eduard Mendy and Antonio Rudiger.
Fulham counts on Ademola Lookman this season as their expected main scorer or the key man on the attack. He has just bagged four goals and made four assists so far. Another notable name to watch is the PSG loanee goalkeeper, Alphonse Areola.
Chelsea vs Fulham Prediction
Thomas Tuchel’s men are simply the stronger side and shall not stumble again here just like while hosting Brighton or West Bromwich. They have been more solid compared to Ademola Lookman and Co who are still struggling to find consistency. A definite win for the home side is absolute.
Betting odds
The Blues are the clear favourite here. They are priced to win at 1/2. In contrast, Scott Parker’s side’s win market is at 39/5. Meanwhile, the draw result is at the value of 7/2.
