Chelsea return to action on Boxing Day with a showdown against local rivals Fulham at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea host their West London neighbours on Thursday afternoon in a festive cracker, which is a match up between two sides exceeding expectations in the Premier League this season.
For the Blues, they currently sit second in the division table going into the league clash at home to Fulham. Enzo Maresca’s side will temporarily close the gap to leaders Liverpool to just a point with a victory today, though.
Chelsea supporters are calling for Joao Felix to start versus Fulham, but let’s see if the manager shakes things up during a busy schedule.
Meanwhile, Fulham sit ninth in the Premier League right now, only two points behind Manchester City in seventh.
Fulham manager Marco Silva during the Premier League match between Chelsea FC and Fulham FC at Stamford Bridge on January 13, 2024 in London, England.
Photo by Rob Newell – CameraSport via Getty Images
Fulham record vs the Premier League’s big six clubs this season
Fulham, who play some great football under Marco Silva’s management, are an established top-flight club. The Cottagers have the quality within their ranks to go toe to toe with any opponent, too.
As Chelsea prepare to face Fulham on Boxing Day, here is a look at how they’ve fared in their league fixtures versus the Premier League’s ‘top six’ clubs this season:
Manchester United 1-0 Fulham (16 August)
Manchester City 3-2 Fulham (5 October)
Tottenham 1-1 Fulham (1 December)
Fulham 1-1 Arsenal (8 December)
Liverpool 2-2 Fulham (14 December)
If Chelsea supporters are expecting an easy fixture at Fulham, it may be time to rethink that. They deserve big respect for going unbeaten this month in league clashes with Liverpool, Arsenal and Spurs.
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Chelsea’s predicted line-up against Fulham includes a few changes from the weekend’s goalless draw with Everton. You’d suspect they’ll need to improve on that performance to get three points on Boxing Day.
Who are the key Fulham threats for Chelsea to watch out for?
Not only are Fulham a well-organised side under Silva, but they’ve also got a few really talented footballers.
Here is a look at Fulham’s top five highest rated individual players so far this campaign:
Player Average rating
Antonee Robinson 7.45
Alex Iwobi 7.38
Kenny Tete 7.14
Emile Smith Rowe 7.10
Adama Traore 7.03
Fulham’s highest rated players of the 2024/25 Premier League season so far via FOTMOB
Fulham have some quality players in their ranks, including all-action left-back Antonee Robinson. In fact, Chelsea winger Pedro Neto should start against Fulham to handle Robinson.
Elsewhere, Blues midfielders Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez will need to be on top form to deal with Fulham’s power in the centre of the park.