Chelsea vs Fulham preview, team news, tickets & prediction

Fulham make the short trip to take on West London neighbours Chelsea in a 2024/25 Premier League showdown. Here is a preview. 

This will have indications at the top-end of the table, as third is up against seventh in the Premier League when Chelsea welcome Fulham for a local derby. 

Cole Palmer was the matchwinner when these two sides last met, with a penalty just before half-time to decide a 1-0 victory at Stamford Bridge. 

The Blues have been impressive so far this term, as Mauricio Pochettino was relieved of his duties despite leading Chelsea to five straight wins at the end of last season. Pochettino was replaced by Enzo Maresca who is proving to be a shrewd appointment having improved many of the team’s metrics, players and points tally from last season. 

There was a humbling defeat to Manchester City on the opening day of the league campaign, but they immediately bounced back by going unbeaten for the next six league games.

That run was ended by a narrow loss to Liverpool, but there are already enough signs that this is a much better team than last season’s. There was a 2-1 home victory over Newcastle that was followed by successive 1-1 draws against Manchester United and Arsenal.

While those latter draws showed they would compete in the top four, they are still some way off beating the very best teams in the league. 

Yet, they have had a perfect start to life in the Europa Conference League with a 100% record matched by 16 goals scored from four matches, by far the highest tally in the competition.

Chelsea must continue to challenge in all competitions and Maresca will be pleased with his side’s progress so far, despite getting knocked out by Newcastle in the Carabao Cup. There is a feeling of renewed optimism among the blues faithful and a growing sense that they are finally close to competing for silverware two years into their new ownership.

During the quick turnaround of games in December, they will be keen to secure a victory that solidifies their Premier League ambitions. Maresca’s men currently find themselves third on the table, with Manchester City and Arsenal’s recent struggles leaving them nine points behind the top spot.

Returning to the Champions League is the main target for this season and they are well capable of doing so considering their form and the quality within their ranks.

On the other hand, Fulham have been impressive so far this term and they sit seventh in the league standings as we approach December.

After losing the opening game to Manchester United in a game they should have left with at least a point, the Cottagers went unbeaten in the next five games. That run was ended by Man City who had to come back from Fulham’s opener to win 3-2, they then lost to Aston Villa but have gone unbeaten since.

Fulham drew Everton before derby victories against Brentford and Crystal Palace, they now face a lot of games until the end of the year and must retain their good form. 

They will aim to nick a result which would significantly boost their confidence given they have won just one of their last 24 meetings with Chelsea.

Silva’s side pose a serious threat and Chelsea must be wary of suffering an upset. 

Match tickets

This Premier League Matchday 18 fixture takes place on Thursday, 26 December 2024 with kick-off scheduled for 3 PM UK time. This is a classic Boxing Day fixture and the football promises to be a spectacular occasion as match tickets are now available for sale on the website of each individual club, with priority access given to club members and season ticket holders.

This game takes place at Stamford Bridge so the blues fans will be bringing the loudest cheer, hoping to get a feel of the festive season. Hence, it should be a sold-out occasion and visiting supporters may have a hard time finding tickets on official sources.

We urge those still looking for match tickets to find Chelsea vs Fulham tickets on a resale site, while there are Chelsea tickets throughout the season.

Team news

The Chelsea boss has a clean bill of health and he will hope to be able to choose from the full complement of his squad during this busy run of games. The Pensioners do have a well-assembled squad and they may just be able to navigate this key period with some good results in the bag.

Elsewhere, Sasa Lukic is Fulham’s only injury worry and they will hope to maintain a fully-fit and disciplined squad throughout the festive fixtures.

Line-ups

Maresca has alternated between two different teams for league and cup matches which will help him to keep some key players fresh despite midweek fixtures.

Therefore, all their top guns are likely to start this crucial derby match.

Chelsea: Sanchez; James, Fofana, Colwill, Cucurella; Caicedo, Lavia; Neto, Palmer, Sancho; Jackson

Silva has a team of trusted lieutenants that have been bolstered by the arrivals of Emile Smith Rowe and Reiss Nelson, as well as Raul Jimenez’s return to goalscoring form this term.

This has made the Whites a lot more creative whilst retaining the solidity that has brought them success under the Portuguese manager.

 Fulham: Leno; Tete, Andersen, Bassey, Robinson; Berge, Pereira; Traore, Smith Rowe, Iwobi; Jimenez

Prediction

Fulham have never beaten Chelsea at home in the Premier League, with their last victory there coming 45 years ago in a Division Two fixture in October 1979. The blues are expected to keep it that way, but they must successfully nullify Fulham’s considerable threat.

Maresca’s side are expansive in possession and aggressive off the ball so they will plan to overwhelm the visitors’ backline, meanwhile the Cottagers will be maintaining a solid shape for as long as possible. It could go down to who scores first and Chelsea will be favourites to do so given their wealth of attacking talent. 

Chelsea 2-0 Fulham