England Premier League
Friday 3rd February 2023
Kick off at 8pm GMT
Venue: Stamford Bridge
Match Preview:
The Friday night game may have you taking a double look as these teams met in the west London derby only a few weeks ago, well here they are again with the way the fixtures have worked out and it is Chelsea who will be all out for revenge after their loss in the earlier game.
Chelsea have stunned the Premier League not so much in their football to date but in their winter transfer window where the club have spent almost £300m on players. There is a clear message here to try have a superb second half to the season and challenge for a top four spot. Currently the Blues are in 10th place and are 10 points behind a 4th placed finish but the owners have shown their intent and this should be quite an interesting four months of the season coming up.
Some of the most eye catching deals have been Mykhalio Mudryk (£62m), Malo Gusto (£26m) and on transfer deadline day they broke the British transfer record by signing Enzo Fernandez the Argentina international from Benfica for £106m. Let’s not forget that the Blues also have Joao Felix on loan from Atletico Madrid, he was sent off in the his first game for the club which ironically was against Fulham and hasn’t been able to play since. As for form coming into this derby just 5 points have been won from their last 15 on offer however Graham Potter’s side have gone their last two games unbeaten with a 1-0 win over Crystal Palace followed up by a 0-0 draw away to Liverpool.
Chelsea have enjoyed a longer break than their opponents as it was the FA Cup weekend and Fulham drew against Sunderland forcing the replay. In the league the Cottagers are having an excellent season and are in 7th place but they would see Chelsea go past them if they lose here. Marco Silva’s side would go into sixth place with a win and go past Brighton as they don’t play for another 24 hours. While Fulham have been very solid perhaps some worries are creeping in as they have lost their last 2 games after defeats against Newcastle and Tottenham although that represents a tough fixture duo, so does this game. The Cottagers have lost 50% of their fixtures away from home including their last against Newcastle.
Team News:
Chelsea: Joax Felix is suspended because of his red card in the reverse fixture with Fulham. Ben Chilwell remains a doubt with a lack of match fitness and doesn’t look like he will be risked here, it is the same situation with Reece James. Raheem Sterling is 50/50 to return and is back in training, Edouard Mendy is sidelined with a hand injury. N’Golo Kante is about 3 weeks away from returning with his extended hamstring injury. Christian Pulisic isn’t expected back for another 4 weeks with his knee and Denis Zakaria is out for at least two weeks with a thigh injury.
Fulham: There are no new injuries for the team although Neeskens Kebano is out long term with his Achilles injury.
Chelsea vs Fulham Head to Head:
The last time the clubs played here was in 2021 and Chelsea won 2-0.
In the reverse fixture played only last month Fulham won 2-1 and it was the clubs first victory over Chelsea in 23 games.
Fulham have not beaten Chelsea away from home since 1979.
There is a 60% chance to see under 2.5 goals.
Chelsea vs Fulham Prediction:
Form for Fulham will be slightly worrying for manager Marco Silva but they have had tough fixtures to navigate and this is another one and so because of that there will be little pressure on the visitors who despite beating Chelsea a few weeks ago will be the underdogs in this game.
Instead the pressure will be ramped up for Graham Potter who is not having the season predicted but at the same time he can point to the amount of injuries he has had to deal with so far. He can’t do that anymore not when your club can spend £300m in a few weeks. However it isn’t very clear how many of the new signings will start this game and the players will have to gel and gel quick. This is why we think Fulham can give Chelsea a few problems especially in the early exchanges. However we do expect the Blues to avenge their earlier defeat and come on strong in the second half. Chelsea’s transfers so far are curious, because the club have signed so many players and may feel unbalanced for a few weeks, and Potter simply cannot afford to let that happen. The bottom line though is the home side have plenty of quality and they should be, at least, winning their home games and we expect them to do just that on Friday evening.
Chelsea vs Fulham Betting Tips:
Chelsea to beat Fulham at 1.57
Anytime goalscorer: Mykhailo Mudryk at 2.75
Half Time Correct Score: Chelsea to be winning 1-0 or 2-0 at 3.00 and 8.00
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