Upset: Fulham ended a 21-game winless streak at Stamford Bridge in this fixture last season
A lunchtime west London derby kicks off matchday 3 in the 2025/26 Premier League season as matters on the pitch provide a distraction from a hectic finish to the summer transfer window with the deadline looming large on Monday night. Chelsea remain without the injured Cole Palmer as they bid to make it back-to-back wins and continue their unbeaten start to the new campaign, having bounced back from a frustrating goalless draw with Crystal Palace to thrash West Ham last time out.
With the likes of Alejandro Garnacho and Facundo Buonanotte now on the way, Enzo Maresca’s Club World Cup winners are full of confidence as they entertain their closest rivals, who claimed a dramatic point at Brighton on opening weekend before battling to an eventful draw with Manchester United and easing past Bristol City in the Carabao Cup.
New signings have been extremely difficult to come by at Craven Cottage so far this summer, leading to manager Marco Silva expressing more public frustration at a lack of business and “wasted time”. Follow Chelsea vs Fulham live below, with expert analysis from Standard Sport’s Dom Smith at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea team news
Chelsea will be without star man Cole Palmer again today due to the groin injury that saw him withdrawn late from the team that demolished struggling West Ham 5-1 in another London derby last Friday night.
Romeo Lavia and Benoit Badiashile are also still sidelined along with long-term absentee Levi Colwill, while Nicolas Jackson has been given permission to travel to Germany today to complete an initial loan move to Bayern Munich.
Christopher Nkunku will also not be involved again as he prepares to join AC Milan on a permanent deal.
Mykhailo Mudryk remains unavailable.
Chelsea FC via Getty Images
TV channel: Today’s game will be shown live in the UK on TNT Sports 1. Coverage begins at 11am BST.
Live stream: You can also live stream the match on Discovery+ with a subscription.
Good morning and welcome to Standard Sport’s latest live coverage in the early stages of the 2025/26 Premier League season.
Matchday 3 kicks off this lunchtime with an intriguing west London derby, where Chelsea will look to go top of the table - at least for a short while - as they chase a second successive commanding victory over a Fulham side who have played out back-to-back draws before advancing in the Carabao Cup in midweek.
Kick-off this afternoon is at 12:30pm BST, so stay tuned for build-up, team news and live updates, including expert analysis from Standard Sport’s Chelsea correspondent Dom Smith at Stamford Bridge.