Before The Whistle: Chelsea v Fulham
Written by Drew Heatley on 12th January 2024
Typically, the game that’s sandwiched between two legs of a semi-final is relatively meaningless – not this time.
It’s the SW6 derby – and a win at Stamford Bridge is as rare as – well, an appearance in a cup semi-final. So, seeing as this is the season for rare events, why can’t we turn them over in their own backyard?
We followed up our first win in 16 years against Chelsea with a stalemate at the Bridge last term, and the boys will be out to go one better as they look to climb the table and head into their mini break on a high ahead of our semi-final second leg.
Expect an unchanged side to the XI that started against Liverpool. Bobby De Cordova-Reid caught a fair bit of flak this week following some poor decision-making at Anfield; he could make way for Harry Wilson, who continues to impress from the bench. But other than that, there’s not a whole lot Silva will look to change.
It’s normally feast or famine for the Whites and Chelsea this season, with just seven draws between us so far – so expect a winner in the lunchtime kick-off, where the expected rarely happens. You Whites.
ℹ️ MATCH DETAILS
Kick-Off: Saturday, 12.30PM
Stadium: Stamford Bridge
Competition: Premier League
TV Channel (UK): TNT
🚦 LEAGUE FORM
Chelsea: ❌ ❌ ✅ ❌ ✅ ✅
Fulham: ✅ ✅ ❌ ❌ ❌ ✅
⚖️ MATCH PROBABILITY
Chelsea: 49.7%
Draw: 27.7%
Fulham: 22.6%
🥊 MOST RECENT MATCHES
Oct 23: Fulham 0-2 Chelsea
Feb 23: Chelsea 0-0 Fulham
Jan 23: Fulham 2-1 Chelsea
May 21: Chelsea 2-0 Fulham
🎙 NEW PODCAST: Down, Not Out
Thoughts on Fulham’s defeat to Liverpool in the first leg of the EFL Cup semi-final and a forward glance at this Saturday’s SW6 derby.
📱 FULHAMISH ON WHATSAPP
Get match previews and reviews, as well as line-ups, match updates and breaking news straight to your phone by signing up to the Fulhamish Whatsapp channel.