Chelsea FC – Fulham FC
After the Premier League teams continued without a break over Christmas and New Year, there were no matches in the top English division last weekend. However, the teams had to play in the FA Cup, and the clubs that were still in the competition also had to play in the EFL Cup. So Premier League soccer continues this weekend, including Chelsea v Fulham as part of matchday 21. Find out who has the edge in the London city derby in our Chelsea – Fulham betting tip.
The match is a duel between two teams who are currently in the middle of the league but would like to be higher up the table in the second half of the season. After Chelsea played a good game against second division side Preston North End in the FA Cup last week, they suffered an unfortunate defeat in the EFL Cup shortly afterwards.
The Blues should have won the game against Middlesbrough, as they missed one great chance after another. For them, it’s time to put the game behind them and concentrate on the league. Fulham also beat a second division side in the FA Cup to progress to the next round
Chelsea – Fulham info
- Date & Time: 13.01.2024, 1:30 pm
- Playing venue: Stamford Bridge, London
- Competition: Premier League, matchday 21
- TV broadcast: Sky
Chelsea Form & Balance Check
Apart from the recent first leg defeat in the semi-finals of the EFL Cup, the team from Stamfortbridge is currently in good form. In the Premier League, they recently recorded two wins against the teams from Luton and Crystal Palace. This leaves the Blues in tenth place in the table with 28 points. However, the international places seem out of reach this season, as they are already eleven points clear of fifth place in the table.
However, things can move quickly in the English league and there are still a few games to go. Coach Mauricio Pochettino’s team will therefore try to attack once again in the second half of the season and see what is still possible for the Blues at the end
Without a star striker for the next few weeks
Coach Pochettino will be without star striker Nicolas Jackson for the next few weeks. The 22-year-old Senegalese, who is currently competing for the Africa Cup title with his home country, could miss up to five weeks in total for the Londoners, depending on how far Senegal make it in the tournament. The Teranga Lions are definitely among the favorites.
From the Blues’ point of view, however, the absence is rather bitter, as Jackson has already scored seven goals in the current Premier League season and also set up two goals. What’s more, the recently recovered Christopher Nkunku had to sit out again, meaning Chelsea’s contingent of strikers is almost exhausted
Chelsea facts & analysis
- Chelsea FC have won 5 home games in a row.
- Chelsea FC have scored in each of their last 6 games.
- When Chelsea FC leads 1-0 in home matches they win 75% of them.
Fulham form & record check
Fulham FC are still searching for their form. On the last Premier League matchday just before the New Year, the Cottagers recorded an almost redemptive 2:1 win against a strong Arsenal, after two more defeats against Bournemouth and Burnley. Fulham also narrowly won the FA Cup 1:0 against a second division side.
In the most recent match, they lost 2:1 in the first leg of the EFL Cup semi-final against Liverpool FC. Coach Marco Silva’s team are currently 13th in the league with 24 points, four points behind their opponents Chelsea. The international places are also a long way off for them, but there is still a large buffer between them and the relegation places
Little goal threat recently
Looking at the results of the last four league games, with the exception of the 2:1 win against Arsenal, we see three games without a goal scored. The attacking weakness is particularly noticeable away from home, as Fulham have scored just nine goals in ten games away from home. Overall, this makes them the third-worst away team in the entire league. The team’s top scorer is Raúl Jiménez, who has scored four of his five goals at home. It remains to be seen whether the team will be able to crack the Blues’ back line this weekend
Fulham facts & analysis
- Fulham’s run of away defeats in the Premier League has now lasted 4 games.
- FC Fulham have failed to score in 4 of their 10 away matches in the Premier League this season.
- A year ago, FC Fulham were 9th in the table with 31 points. They are currently in 13th position (24).
Predicted line-up – last update on January 11, 2024
Chelsea are expected to play in a 4-2-3-1 formation with Armando Broja in attack for Jackson, who played at the Africa Cup. Ukraine’s Mykhailo Mudryk could be back in the starting line-up for the injured Nkunku. Otherwise, we expect a similar line-up to the game against Preston North End last weekend.
Fulham FC are also missing a few players due to the Africa Cup, including Fodo Ballo-Toure (Senegal), Calvin Bassey (Nigeria) and Alex Iwobi (Nigeria). We also expect coach Silva’s team to play in a 4-2-3-1 system, with FA Cup winning goalscorer Bobby De Cordova-Reid, Rodrigo Muniz and Harry Wilson in attack
Chelsea – Fulham head-to-head & stats
Both clubs have faced each other several times in their club history. In a total of 55 meetings, Chelsea have won 34 times, while Fulham have only won four games. The Blues are therefore something of a fearful opponent for Fulham. However, the Cottagers have won one and drawn one of their last three matches. However, the last clash, the first leg of this season, went 2-0 to Chelsea.
- The most common result between Chelsea FC and FC Fulham is 2-0. 7 games ended like this.
- In the last 36 matches Chelsea FC have won 22 times. 12 games ended in a draw, FC Fulham won 2 times. Chelsea FC have a goal difference of 58-24.
- On average Chelsea FC score 1.4 goals against FC Fulham and FC Fulham score 0.4 goals against Chelsea FC.
- The average number of goals in the first half in meetings between Chelsea FC and Fulham FC is 1.2.
- Chelsea FC scores 1.52 goals on average when playing at home and Fulham FC scores 1.08 goals on average when playing away.
