Before The Whistle: Chelsea v Fulham

Ah, Chelsea. The annoying kid at school with tons of money and who was popular too.

We’ve not had a great time against them, well, ever. Bar a glut of wins in the 1970s, history has been littered with Ls in this rivalry, which to some fans means the most. Yes, we have Luis Boa Morte in 2006. And we’ll always have Carlos Vinicius on that cold, glorious January night in 2023.

But what we don’t have is a W at Stamford Bridge in the last 45 years. We’ve not even scored a goal there since 2011. So, when you see the Blues are top of the form table and attempting to mount their first title challenge in quite a few years, the task looks even tougher on Boxing Day.

After Marco made quite a few changes for Sunday’s snoozefest against the Saints, the starting XI is anyone’s guess. Joachim Andersen is fit and ready to go, but Issa Diop’s form meant he had to sit on the bench. Diop kept a clean sheet on Sunday alongside Calvin Bassey, but Marco knows the task facing the boys at the Bridge, so the Dane could still get the nod.

Josh King impressed on his debut, slotting in as Emile Smithe Rowe dropped out of the squad. Andreas Pereira returns for this one, but ESR might have to wait for Bournemouth on 29 December; Silva says our starboy will be in contention.

The biggest questions surround the base of midfield. Sander Berge left the pitch injured on the weekend, replaced by Sasa Lukic who himself is returning from a spell on the sidelines. Oh, what we’d give for the Lukic/Berge double pivot, but it’s unlikely for this one. Sasa looks ready, Sander less likely.

Up top I’d wager Marco will shuffle the front three after the Saints stalemate. Alex Iwobi will remain, but Raul Jimenez coming in for Rodrigo Muniz wouldn’t surprise me, and Silva might fancy Adama Traore running at the Chelsea defence as we look to bag our first goal there in 14 years.

The boys will be up for this one. Hopefully we get a late Christmas gift from the footballing gods. You Whites.

ℹ️ MATCH DETAILS

Kick-Off: Thursday, 3.00PM
Stadium: Stamford Bridge
Competition: Premier League
TV Channel (UK): None

🚦 LEAGUE FORM

Chelsea: ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ ⬜
Fulham: ❌ ⬜ ✅ ⬜ ⬜ ⬜

⚖️ MATCH PROBABILITY

Chelsea: 61.1%
Draw: 19.7%
Fulham: 19.2%

🥊 MOST RECENT MATCHES

Jan 24: Chelsea 1-0 Fulham
Oct 23: Fulham 0-2 Chelsea
Feb 23: Chelsea 0-0 Fulham
Jan 23: Fulham 2-1 Chelsea

🎙 NEW PODCAST: Saint Nicks Point

Elizabeth hosts our Monday podcast that reviews a disappointing point against bottom-of-the-table Southampton. A looming injury crisis and line-up inspiration provides plenty to discuss as we go into the Christmas week.

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