Photo by Rob Newell - CameraSport via Getty Images
Photo by Rob Newell - CameraSport via Getty Images
Chelsea’s Premier League season gets underway against West London rivals Fulham, with a defeat seeing them set an embarrassing low in this fixture that hasn’t happened in nearly 50 years.
Xabi Alonso will have a personal ambition to get off to a strong start as he comes up against Alvaro Arbeloa, who replaced him as manager at Real Madrid.
In truth, Chelsea have not been strong starters in the Premier League for some time. Thomas Tuchel was the last Blues boss to win on the opening day of the season.
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Chelsea looking to avoid back-to-back defeats to Fulham for first time in 47 years
But, with slow starts for Manchester United, Tottenham and Aston Villa, the opportunity is there to make a statement to the rest of the league.
Chelsea’s last visit to Craven Cottage ended in a 2-1 defeat, with Calum McFarlane in charge following the exit of Enzo Maresca. Marc Cucurella was sent off in this game.
Fulham v Chelsea - Premier League
Photo by Vince Mignott/MB Media/Getty Images
Defeat in their opening game of this season would see them suffer consecutive defeats to their West London rivals for the first time since 1979, where they lost three in a row.
Fulham have gained a reputation for becoming slow starters in the Premier League too, winning just one of their last six games to start the season.
The Chelsea Chronicle spoke to Fulham expert Charles Jones before this fixture, and he was not full of optimism and predicted a significant Chelsea victory.
Chelsea players eager to impress Alonso
There is a real buzz around Chelsea at the minute as they prepare to go into the new season with Alonso at the helm, following a strong pre-season campaign.
With no European football this season, there are less opportunities for all of these top players to feature, meaning they will need to take their chance when given.
The Chelsea Chronicle broke down three players under pressure to perform at Craven Cottage tonight, with competition for places fierce.
New signings Morgan Rogers, Maxence Lacroix and Marco Palestra are amongst those looking to make an instant impact, as Chelsea look to make the perfect start to the campaign.