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Were Fulham slightly lucky to get away with a draw against Liverpool on Sunday?
In truth, a point was probably deserved although no-one had ‘Harrison Reed to equalise with 97th-minute worldie’ on their Craven Cottage bingo card.
Still, credit to Fulham for not giving up after Cody Gakpo looked to have snatched the points for Liverpool earlier in added time.
Chelsea also grabbed a battling draw with the clock almost up thanks to Enzo Fernandez’s late leveller at Manchester City.
After a poor run and the departure of Enzo Maresca a couple of days earlier, that result was extra worthy and hats off to Chelsea’s under-21 coach Calum McFarlane, who had never taken charge of a single senior game in his career.
The managerial door at Stamford Bridge rotates fast and, ahead of this one, Chelsea have announced that Liam Rosenior has been appointed as new head coach.
Rosenior has joined from Chelsea’s partner club, Strasbourg, so this is a massive step up for the 41-year-old, who previously had stints in charge of Derby and Hull.
He becomes the Blues’ fifth permanent head coach in the five years since BlueCo took charge of the club.
How to watch Fulham v Chelsea
Fulham v Chelsea kicks off at 19.30 GMT on Wednesday, January 7 at Craven Cottage.
The game will be shown live on Sky Sports Football, with coverage starting from 7pm.
Fulham team news
Fulham seem to be coping pretty well without their Afcon absentees – Alex Iwobi, Calvin Bassey and Samuel Chukwueze – having taken eight points (two wins, two draws) from the last 12 to end last weekend above Everton, Spurs, Crystal Palace and Bournemouth.
Their only home loss this season is the wild 5-4 defeat against Manchester City so they’re likely to stick with the same approach and formation that kept Liverpool frustrated for long periods.
Kenny Tete, Ryan Sessegnon and Josh King will be given late tests which may give Marco Silva more options.
Fulham expected line-up
(3-4-2-1) Leno; Cuenca, Andersen, Diop; Castagne, Berge, Lukic, Robinson; Wilson, Kevin; Jimenez.
Chelsea team news
It’s never easy to predict the first team sheet of a brand new manager but one no-brainer for Rosenior is to restore Moses Caicedo to the side after he was suspended for the trip to Manchester City.
In defence, Rosenior will hope Wesley Fofana has shaken off an illness and that left-back Marc Cucurella has recovered from a thigh issue.
Caicedo’s return could mean skipper Reece James reverting to right-back, with Malo Gusto standing in for Cucurella on the left if required.
That said, the Chelsea medical team will be wary of overplaying the injury-prone James while Cole Palmer’s minutes need to be managed too after his lengthy layoff.
The England man played the full 90 against Manchester City and the visitors have plenty of attacking options.
Rosenior alternated between a back three and a back four at Strasbourg so Chelsea’s formation will be interesting to note.
Chelsea expected line-up
(4-2-3-1) Jorgensen; James, Chalobah, Badiashile, Gusto; Caicedo, Fernandez; Estevao, Palmer, Neto; Pedro.
Fulham v Chelsea stats
– Since their return to the Premier League in 2022, Fulham have won two of their seven Premier League games against Chelsea (D1 L4), more than they had in their first 30 against the Blues in the competition (W1 D10 L19).
– Chelsea have won six of their last seven Premier League away games against Fulham, with the exception being a 2-1 loss in January 2023.
– Fulham have lost four of their last six home Premier League London derbies (W2), having gone seven unbeaten beforehand.
– Chelsea are unbeaten in their last nine Premier League London derbies (W5 D4) since a 1-0 defeat to Arsenal last March.
– Fulham have drawn both of their last two Premier League games despite trailing each time.
– Fulham have won just three of their last 20 Premier League matches played on a Wednesday (D9 L8)
– Chelsea have won just one of their last eight Premier League games (D5 L2), failing to win their last four (D3 L1) and drawing their last two.
– Since the start of November, only Erling Haaland (11) has more Premier League goal involvements than Fulham’s Harry Wilson (9 – 5 goals, 4 assists).
Fulham v Chelsea predictions
Fulham are a tough nut to crack at home as shown by their battling draw with Liverpool.
It may be comparing apples with oranges but Rosenior’s away record in his two campaigns with Strasbourg was somewhat modest.
The French side, who sit seventh, have won just twice in nine away matches this season while they also had a negative goal difference on the road in his opening campaign in 2024/25 despite qualifying for Europe.
True, Chelsea usually win at Craven Cottage but their poor recent form along with Rosenior trying to get his feet under the table suggests Fulham can take something.
No team has recorded more away draws than Chelsea this season (four) and they’ve ended all square in five of their last eight outings.
A stalemate is the call at 13/5 and a 1-1 scoreline at 13/2 has merit too. That would be a decent enough start for the new Blues boss.