Chelsea hopes to recover their season after a spending spree in the January window as they face Fulham stamford Bridge on Friday night.
The Blues drew goalless away at Liverpool in the last Premier League match whereas Fulham were narrowly defeated by 1-0 against Tottenham at home.
CHE vs FUL Match Details
Date: Friday 3 February 2023 / Saturday, 4 February 2023
Time: 21:00 (BST) / 01:30 (IST)
Venue: Stamford Bridge, London
CHE vs FUL Match Preview
Similar to the summer window, Chelsea did not feel reluctant to pull out several deals in the winter window with a staggering $600 million spent this season. That included breaking the British record for transfer fee to bring in Enzo Fernandez from Benfica on the deadline day. The World Cup winner only played six months with the Portuguese club since joining last year and cost $130 million in the deal. The Blues pulled out all these signings on a long contract, therefore, escaping the hinges of FFP rules. But one thing is for sure Todd Boehly and the club’s hierarchy have backed manager Graham Potter to the fullest bringing in a lot of talent and quality to the squad. Now, it is left to see whether money buys success on the pitch with Chelsea sitting in a disappointing ninth spot on the table with seven points off from a European football berth. It will be a huge task to overturn their faith from here. A win at home over Crystal Palace and a goalless draw at Anfield in the last two matches brought an end to a four-game winless run but the Blues only have picked up two wins in the last 10 Premier League games. They suffered a 2-1 loss against Fulham at Craven Cottage a few games back but have not lost this fixture since 1979 at home. So, this could be the ideal chance to fire up the new signings especially those in attack as the club has lacked sharpness in front of goal this season.
The 2-1 success in the reverse fixture of this meeting showed the brilliant season Fulham are having in the top flight under Marco Silva after an equally impressive promotion from the Championship last year. However, the Cottagers failed to continue their winning run of five games in all competitions after losing to Newcastle and Tottenham in back-to-back Premier League games. Their FA Cup fourth-round tie with Sunderland also ended 1-1. The losses in the league were close ones as Aleksandar Mitrovic had his penalty ruled out for an unfortunate double kick before Aleksandar Isak scored a late winner at St James Park while Harry Kane scored the only goal in a tight battle at home. So, Marco Silva won’t be too concerned about the slump they had in the last games even though a tricky battle with Chelsea in the next game at Stamford Bridge awaits. Fulham have every license to dream of beating the Blues at their home and it will be a historical feat. It would also be the first time the club will do a double in this fixture if a victory is achieved. After all, Silva’s men have been better this season sitting in seventh with a gap of five points from a possible Europa League spot. A win will increase their chances of European endeavors while a third league defeat in a row will only allow the opposition to overtake them on the table.
Recent Form (all competitions)
CHL: DWLLL
FUL: DLLWW
Recent Form (league)
CHL: DWLLD
FUL: LLWWW
CHE vs FUL Team News
Chelsea have Ben Chilwell, Reece James, Raheem Sterling and Ruben Loftus-Cheek back in the squad but they are unsuitable to play 90 minutes yet. Defender Wesley Fofana is partly with the team, stepping up next week. Mateo Kovacic, N'Golo Kante, Christian Pulisic and Denis Zakaria remain out. New deadline day signing Enzo Fernandez is registered in the Premier League squad for the club after some uncertainty earlier. He has trained and has got his VISA approved to allow himself to be in the squad to face Fulham. It was a massive boost for the Blues as they are thin in midfield due to injuries and having sold Jorginho to Arsenal. Joao Felix will serve the last of his three-game suspension after receiving a straight red in his debut in the reverse fixture.
For Fulham, Neeskens Kebano remains out with an Achilles Tendon injury while Shane Duffy is a doubt with illness. Even with both fit, neither are starters for Marco Silva’s side. Willian scored against his former club in the earlier meeting between the sides and will be back in Stamford Bridge on Friday for the first time since leaving the club in 2020. Fulham will also have new signing Sasa Lukic from Torino available alongside Cedric Soares who joined from Arsenal on loan.
CHE vs FUL Predicted Lineups
CHL: Kepa Arrizabalaga; Trevoh Chalobah, Thiago Silva, Benoit Badiashile; Cesar Azpilicueta, Conor Gallagher, Enzo Fernandez, Marc Cucurella; Mason Mount, Mykhailo Mudryk; Kai Havertz
FUL: Bernd Leno; Kenny Tete, Issa Diop, Tim Ream, Antonee Robinson; Joao Palhinha, Harrison Reed; Decordova-Reid, Andreas Pereira, Willian; Aleksandar Mitrovic
CHE vs FUL Dream11 Team Prediction
GK: Kepa (8)
DEF: Tete (8.5), Silva (8) Ream (7.5), Badiashile (6.5),
MID: Pereira (8.5), Mount (9), E Fernandez (7.5), Mudryk (7)
FW: Mitrovic (9), Havertz (8.5)
Vice-captain: Aleksandar Mitrovic
Captain: Kai Havertz
Stay tuned to Dream11 and Fantasy Football for upcoming matches.
