Chelsea looking to boost confidence
It’s time for another derby in London in the Premier League. Chelsea will take on Fulham, and the bookmakers see the hosts with the advantage in their Chelsea vs Fulham prediction. But Chelsea have not been wobbling insignificantly so far this season.
Of course, one look at the squad is enough to see Chelsea as favourites. At the same time, the course of the season so far certainly gives reason to doubt that the hosts are really much better prepared for this game than Fulham.
There are still many points to be distributed, and the hosts can still go a long way. But for that to happen, the team will have to improve. Because that is not assured, our Chelsea vs. Fulham tip does not deal with a possible win for the Blues.
Chelsea – Statistics & current form
It is extremely difficult to briefly describe Chelsea FC’s season. Change of ownership, Tuchel sacking, signing of Graham Potter, winless streak and an unprecedented transfer offensive in the winter are just the key data. The Blues spent around 220 million euros on Mudryk and Fernandez alone. In winter. Expectations for the second half of the season are correspondingly high, and Chelsea must show in the coming weeks that the purchases were structured and that the most interesting talents were not just lured to Stamford Bridge in the best football manager manner.
Critics miss a plan in Potter’s game at Chelsea anyway. The dominance he would like to exude with his team is not evident. Moreover, some players are out of their normal form. Tenth place in the league – two points behind city rivals and promoted Fulham, by the way – cannot be the goal. Improvements are needed, both in terms of play and results.
However, that won’t be easy, because confidence is lacking. Chelsea have only won two of their last eleven Premier League games. These problems should be remedied in the next few games. However, it is doubtful that top transfer Fernandez will be on the pitch on Friday.
Chelsea want to further improve their derby record
It’s a good thing that Chelsea FC have the highest win rate of all the London clubs in the Premier League. The Blues like to win the direct duels with their neighbours, while Fulham have the weakest of all odds. However, the first leg went in favour of the Cottagers.
The deeper Chelsea analysis shows that at least at Stamford Bridge the odds are quite decent. Nine games, five wins and an average of 1.89 points per game are okay. There were also only seven of the 21 goals conceded here, although it should be noted that the defensive value seems quite acceptable anyway. Offensively, however, there are problems, because a team like the Blues, who score only 22 goals in 20 games, is running behind its own standards.
Some key players are also injured. Based on the statistics mentioned so far, our prediction before the Chelsea vs Fulham game is that the hosts will not lose and will score less than 3.5 goals in total.
Predicted Chelsea line-up:
Kepa – Azpilicueta, Thiago Silva, Badiashile, Cucurella – Kovacic, Gallagher, Mount, Mudryk, Madueke – Havertz
Last matches played by Chelsea:
Premier League
21/01/2023 – Liverpool FC 0 – 0 Chelsea FC
15/01/2023 – Chelsea FC 1 – 0 Crystal Palace
13/01/2023 – Fulham 2 – 1 Chelsea FC
FA Cup
08/01/2023 – Manchester City 4 – 0 Chelsea FC
Premier League
06/01/2023 – Chelsea FC 0 – 1 Manchester City
Fulham – Statistics & current form
Fulham are playing a very good season for a promoted side. Coach Marco Silva has adjusted very well to the new league and has drawn the right conclusions with his team. The new arrivals that the Cottagers signed also sat very well. In addition, Mitrovic is scoring again according to plan this season, has already scored eleven goals this season.
The most recent result was a 1-1 draw against Sunderland in the FA Cup, which means Fulham will have to play a replay. In the tightly-packed schedule, this is not necessarily conducive. The visitors have now failed to win three competitive games in a row, so their current form is not outstanding. Even a point at Chelsea would be a success for Fulham.
Fulham have only won two out of 37 games at Chelsea, so the odds before this game are anything but good. However, this season is also a special one, the omens have rarely been so good for Fulham.
The visitors already with four away wins
Fulham have already won four times away from home this season. The average points per game in away matches is currently 1.3, and Fulham have also scored 14 goals away from home. So the team will certainly not hide at Stamford Bridge. The visitors will mainly rely on their crosses, because that is where they are particularly dangerous. Fulham have scored eleven times from crosses, no team has a better record.
The Cottagers scored a total of 32 goals, which is also a very respectable figure in the Premier League. Only the 30 goals conceded are a drop of bitterness, but as long as clubs like Chelsea and Liverpool are behind Fulham in the table, things are fine. Because the visitors make a good impression, especially when playing forward, our value tip before the Chelsea vs Fulham game is that both teams will score.
Predicted line-up of Fulham:
Leno – Tete, Adarabioyo, Diop, Robinson – Palhinha, Reed, Cairney, Andreas, Wilson – Mitrovic
Last matches played by Fulham:
FA Cup
28/01/2023 – Fulham 1 – 1 Sunderland
Premier League
24/01/2023 – Fulham 0 – 1 Tottenham
15/01/2023 – Newcastle 1 – 0 Fulham
13/01/2023 – Fulham 2 – 1 Chelsea FC
FA Cup
07/01/2023 – Hull 0 – 2 Fulham
Chelsea – Fulham Direct comparison / H2H record
Both teams have met in 85 direct duels so far. Chelsea won a strong 49 of those games, Fulham could only walk off the pitch as winners ten times. Once of those, as mentioned, in a 2-1 first leg win.
Chelsea – Fulham Tip
Chelsea are looking to really get going this season and will be hoping that their new arrivals from the winter will provide some early impetus. It won’t be easy, however, as they also have to find their routines. After all, the record in home games against these opponents looks extremely good.
Ahead of the Chelsea vs Fulham match, taking all statistics into account, our prediction at fair odds is that the hosts will not lose and that less than 3.5 goals will be scored in this match.
