Chelsea continue their push towards Champions League qualification when they play against west London adversaries Fulham on this afternoon (Sunday).
The Blues enter the fixture in underwhelming form and pressure is mounting on Enzo Maresca. Successive draws with Brentford and Ipswich Town in the Premier League has seen their bid to finish in the top five dented gradually. Chelsea must respond with victory at Fulham to continue their fight for a fifth place in the PL so as to gain a champions league spot.
Their midweek defeat to Legia Warsaw in the second leg of their Conference League quarter-final got them booed off at Stamford Bridge and confidence must have taken a significant hit.
Fulham beat Liverpool the last time they stepped out at Craven Cottage and have already triumphed at Stamford Bridge this season. They could do the double over their local rivals and pile more misery on Maresca and his men.
Below is Mainwap’s breakdown of the Meeting
Match Details
Date: Sunday 20 April
Kick-off Time: 14:00 BST / 09:00 ET / 06:00 PT
Location: London, England
Stadium: Craven Cottage
Referee: Anthony Taylor
VAR: Andy Madley
Fulham vs Chelsea h2h records (last 5 games)
- Fulham: 2 wins
- Chelsea: 2 wins
- Draws: 1
Last EPL meeting: Chelsea 1-2 Fulham (26 December 2024)
Fulham team news
Fulham have an almost entirely fit squad for their clash with Chelsea but will be without Arsenal loanee, Reiss Nelson. Fellow winger Harry Wilson has been missing since the end of January but should make his comeback on today.
The Cottagers are unlikely to make too many alterations from the side that were beaten at Bournemouth last time out but triumphed against Liverpool the week prior.
Rodrigo Muniz, who scored the last-gasp winner for Fulham at Chelsea back on Boxing Day, will lead the line again at Craven Cottage, but the likes of Adama Traore, Willian, Raul Jimenez and Emile Smith Rowe have a good chance of being on the bench.
Chelsea team news
Chelsea’s injury list is short but they are missing key center-back – Wesley Fofana, who is out for the season after another fitness setback. He’s joined by Marc Guiu and Omari Kellyman on the sidelines, while Mykhailo Mudryk remains suspended for a failed drugs test.
Meanwhile, good news for the Blues is that the injury-prone Romeo Lavia is in contention to feature at Craven Cottage. The Belgian, who has played just 14 times in almost two seasons with Chelsea due to fitness issues, will be eased back into the team, according to Maresca.
Chelsea named a weakened lineup against Legia on Thursday with only a few regular starters featuring from the off. The likes of Moises Caicedo, Levi Colwill, Noni Madueke and Enzo Fernandez should return to the starting eleven.
Fulham vs Chelsea correct score prediction
Chelsea have seldom visited Craven Cottage as underdogs but they’re arguably that for Sunday’s encounter. The Blues are in desperate form and their lack of cohesion could be exposed by Marco Silva’s well-oiled machine.
Fulham have already proven their ability to beat Maresca’s side this season and their home form has been mightily impressive. They could set Chelsea’s Champions League hopes back on Sunday.
Prediction: Fulham 2-2 Chelsea
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