Chelsea vs Fulham Prediction & Betting Tips

Chelsea welcome Fulham to Stamford Bridge in a West London derby, as the hosts look to close in on the European places in the table. The Blues will be hoping to continue their improved form with a fourth win in five league games.

• Both Teams to Score @ 4/6 on William Hill
• Over 2.5 goals in the match @ 8/13 on William Hill
• Chelsea to win @ 4/7 on Paddy Power

These odds are correct at the time of publication and are subject to change.

Date: 13/01/23

Kick-off time: 12:30

Location: Stamford Bridge

The first game of the Premier League weekend is an important one for Mauricio Pochettino and Chelsea as they aim to make ground on the teams above them in the race for European qualification. Both sides enter the game following midweek ties in the League Cup at Middlesbrough and Liverpool.

Pochettino’s side currently sit in tenth, but a win could see them jump to as high as seventh before the day’s later fixtures, leapfrogging Newcastle, Manchester United and Brighton. Victory for Fulham would see them move to just one point behind their opponents with 27 points. The Cottagers are 11th in the table.

Chelsea started the season relatively strong defensively, but have struggled to keep the ball out of the net in recent weeks, recording just one clean sheet in their last 13 Premier League games. However, they have improved in an attacking sense, scoring at least twice in their last four home matches, all of which were victories. This is largely down to the impressive form of summer signing Cole Palmer, who has already notched eight goals and seven assists for his new club. The return of Christopher Nkunku will provide an extra attacking boost, which will be much needed with Nicolas Jackson away on international duty.

The visitors, in contrast, have found it difficult away from home, scoring nine goals in 10 games. They have won just once all season, and that came on the opening weekend of the campaign at Everton. Twenty-three goals have been conceded, which highlights a stark difference in their home and away form with 19 goals scored and 12 conceded at Craven Cottage, along with six wins. Marco Silva will have to rely on the output of Raul Jimenez and Bobby De Cordova-Reid, who have both scored five goals apiece in all competitions.

The reverse fixture in early October saw Chelsea win 2-0 away thanks to two quick-fire goals from Mykhailo Mudryk and Armando Broja. This weekend’s game will be the 91st meeting between the two sides in all competitions, with Chelsea coming out on top 51 times. Fulham will be hoping to win just their 13th game against the Blues but it would be their second in the last four. A 2-1 win in January of last season was their first victory against their hosts in all competitions since March 2006.

Chelsea Team News

Mauricio Pochettino has a lengthy injury list to contend with, but he will be hoping to welcome back some important names for this weekend’s game against Fulham.

Ben Chilwell, who has been sidelined with a hamstring injury since September, has been involved in full training and is very close to a return, as is Carney Chukwuemeka, following the midfielder’s lengthy spell on the sidelines with a knee injury.

Benoit Badiashile, who had been absent for a couple of games with a minor issue will also be hoping to make a return.

Nicolas Jackson is away with Senegal for the Africa Cup of Nations. Longer-term absentees include Reece James, Wesley Fofana and Marc Cucurella.

Fulham Team News

Fulham will definitely be without three players as Calvin Bassey, Alex Iwobi and Fode Ballo-Toure have all left to compete in the Africa Cup of Nations. Following on from last Friday night’s victory over Rotherham, Marco Silva has no new fresh injury concerns.

Chelsea

In their last five games, Chelsea have won three and lost twice.

The Blues bounced back well from their Christmas Eve defeat at Wolves by winning two league games in a row against Crystal Palace and Luton, leaving them six points adrift from sixth place.

A comprehensive 4-0 victory against Preston in the FA Cup third round has given them plenty of momentum heading into this one. Pochettino opted for a very strong lineup with Armando Broja, substitute Thiago Silva, Raheem Sterling and Enzo Fernandez all on the scoresheet.

Last time out, the Blues suffered a shock 1-0 League Cup semi-final first-leg defeat to Middlesbrough at the Riverside Stadium, with Hayden Hackney scoring the only goal of the game in the 37th minute.

Fulham

In their last five games, Fulham have won twice, and lost three times. The absences of winger Willian and striker Raul Jimenez contributed to a three-game slide in which they conceded eight goals and scored zero. The first game against Newcastle saw Jimenez sent off early, and they went on to lose 3-0.

Subsequent defeats at home to Burnley and at Bournemouth followed, and the pair’s importance was highlighted as their return coincided with a huge 2-1 win against title-challenging Arsenal. Goals from Jimenez and De Cordova-Reid earned the side their biggest win of the season.

They continued their winning form in the FA Cup, beating Championship side Rotherham United 1-0 at home. It was a largely dominant display, despite the final scoreline suggesting otherwise. The winner was scored in the 24th minute by De Cordova-Reid, as Fulham took 21 shots to just three from their opponents and enjoyed 66% possession.

Fulham were narrowly beaten 2-1 away at Liverpool in the first leg of their League Cup semi-final, as despite leading at half time through Willian, Jurgen Klopp's side scored through Curtis Jones and Cody Gakpo in the 68th and 71st minutes. It will certainly be interesting to see if they can reach the final of that competition for the first time in their history.

Whilst Fulham will provide a tricky test, Chelsea should prevail in this West London derby. Despite their inconsistent away form, they have found their feet at home at Stamford Bridge with three league victories in a row and further successes in both domestic competitions. Fulham have lost four away games on the bounce, scoring just three goals across those fixtures, albeit all coming at Anfield. However, the Blues have struggled to record clean sheets in recent weeks, so we expect the visitors to keep it close: Chelsea 2-1 Fulham

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Chelsea vs Fulham can be watched live on TNT Sports.

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