Stamford Bridge Battle: Chelsea Faces Neighbours Fulham
Chelsea versus Fulham will be quite the London derby, although it’s safe to say that both squads are in much need of a win streak. Chelsea and Fulham have performed below expectations and unlikely to be in the title race, but it should still be an intriguing match.
Match Details
This EPL matchup is held at Chelsea’s home ground of Stamford Bridge, on Saturday 13th January. The kick-off time is expected to be 12:30 GMT.
Team News
Chelsea will continue to miss several names for this game, including the likes of Wesley Fofana, Reece James, Marc Cucurella Saseta, Romeo Lavia, Robert Sanchez, Ben Chilwell, Carney Chukwuemeka, Lesley Ugochukwu, Trevoh Chalobah, and Christopher Nkunku. Nicolas Jackson is unavailable to due to playing in the Africa Cup of Nations.
Fulham’s injury list is actually far shorter than Chelsea’s, with Adama Traore Diarra and Tim Ream both injured, but other players are out for the Africa Cup of Nations, including Calvin Bassey, Fode Ballo-Toure, and Alex Iwobi.
Recent Form
Chelsea is probably having a season to forget, as they are currently 10th on the table with 28 points, which is far behind the league-leader (Liverpool) with 45 points. Chelsea’s last five games have included three wins and two losses, and their most recent matchup was a 3-2 victory over Luton Town.
Fulham isn’t so far below Chelsea at 13th spot with 24 points. Fulham’s last five matchups have included two wins and three losses, and their most recent game finished in a surprise 2-1 win over Arsenal!
Head-to-Head
It’s fairly balanced when these two teams battle each other on the pitch if checking the records. The last match ended with a 2-0 win for Chelsea, but the other four games have included one draw, one victory for Fulham, and two more wins for Chelsea.
Key Players to Watch
It’s clear that Fulham will require a lot from forward Raúl Jiménez, who is the team’s leading scorer with five goals. Jiménez was a big part of the win over Arsenal with one goal, and although he could do a bit more passing (0 assists), he’s still the one to watch.
Not having Nicolas Jackson play due to his participation in the Africa Cup is a major blow for Chelsea, as he’s one of the best scorers with 7 goals and 2 assists this season. Chelsea will have to rely on Raheem Sterling to pick up his effort, as he’s done well enough with 5 goals in 18 matches.
Tactical Overview
Chelsea is great at short passes and direct free kicks, although the team needs to avoid offsides and defend against longer shots.
Predictions
Chelsea is the clear favourite at the moment, given their history against Fulham and having a stronger squad. It’s a big loss with Jackson out, but there’s enough talent on this Chelsea team and Fulham is full of injuries.
Chelsea has 3/5 odds to win, Fulham has 23/5 odds to win, and a draw is 7/2. The total goals is listed at 2.5 with odds of 11/20, and the Anytime Goalscorer bet is safe with Sterling at 31/20 odds. Chelsea is listed at 60% winning chance, Fulham at 18%, and a draw at 22%.
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