Fulham currently sit in ninth place, six points behind sixth-placed Chelsea. Both teams had frustrating results last week — Fulham lost 1-0 to Bournemouth, while Chelsea were held to a 2-2 draw by relegation-threatened Ipswich Town.
Fulham’s loss to Bournemouth came after conceding just 60 seconds into the match — the fourth game in a row they’ve fallen behind first. Manager Marco Silva will be disappointed with the inconsistency in his team’s recent performances, having alternated between wins and losses over the past seven games, dropping 12 points in the process.
They still have an outside shot at European football next season, sitting six points behind seventh-placed Aston Villa — a position that could be enough for a Europa or Conference League spot, depending on cup outcomes.
If they’re serious about making that late push, though, they’ll need to shore things up defensively. Fulham have conceded eight goals in their last four matches and failed to score in two of them. That said, their recent home form has included some big wins, including victories over Liverpool, Nottingham Forest, and Tottenham.
Chelsea had to come from 2-0 down to draw against Ipswich last weekend — not exactly the performance they wanted against a team fighting relegation. Interestingly, they racked up 34 shots in that game, more than double their average for the season.
Despite losing 2-1 to Legia Warsaw in their Conference League second leg on Thursday, the Blues made it through to the semi-finals thanks to their dominant 3-0 win in the first leg.
Enzo Maresca has come under fire during the second half of the season, but his side is still just one point behind fifth-placed Manchester City — the last Champions League qualification spot.
Still, recent league form hasn’t been great: just one win in their last four matches, with two draws and only three goals scored in that stretch. Maresca also lost to Marco Silva’s Fulham back on Boxing Day (2-1), although that remains Chelsea’s only defeat to the Cottagers in their last five meetings — they’ve won three of those.
One big concern? Chelsea haven’t won an away league game since December 8. In that time, they’ve lost five and drawn three, and failed to score in five of those eight matches.
Both teams are still chasing European football, but their recent form makes this one tough to call. Fulham have the home advantage and a few big results under their belt, while Chelsea are desperate to stop the slide and stay in the Champions League race.
INJURIES & SUSPENSION
Fulham have a pretty clean bill of health going into this one. The only real injury concerns are wingers Harry Wilson and Reiss Nelson. Wilson might be back before the end of the month, but Nelson remains sidelined.
Raul Jimenez is expected to lead the line up front, with support from Alex Iwobi, Andreas Pereira, and Ryan Sessegnon behind him. In midfield, Sasa Lukic and Sander Berge are locked in to start, while Joachim Andersen and Calvin Bassey will likely anchor the defense.
Chelsea are also mostly at full strength, with just Wesley Fofana and backup goalkeeper Gabriel Slonina out. Neither would’ve been automatic starters, so Maresca won’t be too troubled.
Levi Colwill and Trevoh Chalobah were rested for Thursday’s game against Legia Warsaw, so they’re likely to slot into the center of defense alongside keeper Robert Sanchez. In midfield, expect Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez to partner up again, with Cole Palmer playing just behind Nicolas Jackson in attack.
POSSIBLE LINE-UPS
Fulham possible starting lineup:
Leno; Castagne, Andersen, Bassey, Robinson; Lukic, Berge; Iwobi, Pereira, Sessegnon; Jimenez
Chelsea possible starting lineup:
Sanchez; Gusto, Chalobah, Colwill, Cucurella; Caicedo, Fernandez; Madueke, Palmer, Neto; Jackson
EXPERT PREDICTION
Fulham 2-1 Chelsea
