Chelsea face west London rivals Fulham at Craven Cottage on Saturday, giving the Blues a day extra than expected to prepare for the match. The game was originally scheduled for Friday night, however, due to Fulham's rearranged clash with Spurs at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Wednesday, the fixture has been moved back 24 hours.
The extra day's rest and preparation will be sure to benefit Frank Lampard's side and gives the injured players a little more time to prove their fitness to the boss.
Fulham come into this game on the back of a 1-1 draw against Jose Mourinho's Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.A first-half goal from star striker Harry Kane for Tottenham Hotspur was cancelled out by a second-half strike from Portugal international Ivan Cavaleiro for Fulham.
Defensively they look much more compact and there’s always the right distance between the back five and the midfield. They can play with quite a defensive set up due to the counter attacking pace of players like Ademola Lookman and Ivan Cavaleiro.
Chelsea, on the other hand, beat Morecambe 4-0 on Sunday in the third round of the FA Cup. Goals from midfielder Mason Mount, striker Timo Werner, winger Callum Hudson-Odoi and attacker Kai Havertz ensured next-round qualification for Frank Lampard's Chelsea.
From title contenders to lingering down in ninth place, it’s been quite the decline for Chelsea Football Club in recent weeks. It’s difficult to pinpoint any one major problem that they’re suffering with, and yet while you can understand that this is the most competitive campaign we’ve seen in a long time within this league, there’s also the understanding that a team of superstars such as this should be performing at a much higher level on a far more consistent basis.
In 17 head-to-head encounters between the two sides, Chelsea hold the clear advantage. They have won 11 games and drawn six.
