**Marco Silva**spoke about what the West London derby means to him as **Fulham**face **Chelsea**at **Stamford Bridge**this weekend. The Blues have a far more expensive talent, with top-end talent headlining their title charge, but the Portuguese does not feel his men have no chance of competing.
‘They are in a different world’
Even though **Fulham**cannot earn more than three points, derby days always mean that bit extra.
“It’s a special derby. It is a special moment for our fans, and when you feel it, it gives the players that extra motivation as well. In every Premier League game, you can make a statement. This is another game, there are three points there, nothing more, but you know there’s always something special.”
Silva sees this rivalry as an example of how the standards of the squad have risen in recent years.
“The last few seasons, since we joined the club, we changed completely the record against them. We have been really competitive, to match them and to balance really well on the pitch.”
Todd Boehly has bankrolled a strange sporting project, but his spending is showing signs of return on investment. The Blues banked a top four spot and the Conference League crown in May before beating Paris Saint-Germain to become the new champions of the world in the middle of July.
*“Off the pitch, what they have been doing last three, four seasons, spending not millions, billions probably, and it’s again this summer. The team had a very good last season and won the Conference League, they were the favourites, but won the Club World Cup as well, and were able to strengthen.”*
The spending has not stopped. The squad now has two central forwards who have immediately ousted **Nicolas Jackson**and are about to pick up a temperamental 21-year-old with some promising tools.
*“Even their attacking line – Estevao, Liam Delap, Joao Pedro. Probably more is coming, probably Alejandro Garnacho is coming too. I think it speaks about themselves and the individual quality they have. Off the pitch is a completely different world. They are in a different world.”*
On the other hand, **Fulham**have only spent £500,000 this summer to bring in second choice shot stopper Benjamin Lecomte. It is down to the manager to make the most of the available resources.
“They are capable to do things off the pitch which we are not – our aim is to balance everything inside the pitch, to balance everything during the 95 or 100 minutes that we are going to play against them, like we did last season both games.”
He knows his boys can compete from experience. They narrowly lost 1-0 at their rivals in January 2024, then beat them 2-1 at their ground on Boxing Day. A narrow 2-1 defeat at Craven Cottage in April did not reflect the damage done by **Fulham**in the first half, furthering the belief in the group.
*“Two great games, really balanced, emotional games, late goals for us at Stamford Bridge, and after for them at Craven Cottage. But the way we faced them, the way we matched them, is what we are going to try to do again, to balance things on a matchday that are completely different off the pitch.”*