Chelsea meet Fulham in a West London derby as both teams look to maintain their unbeaten starts to the season.
Victory will lift Chelsea to the summit for at least a few hours before Tottenham host Bournemouth, whilst Fulham can leapfrog the Blues into fourth with a win.
Team News
Cole Palmer is ruled out for Chelsea after he suffered a groin injury in warm-up for their 5-1 comeback win at West Ham.
Nicolas Jackson isn’t set to feature amidst transfer rumours over his future at the club.
Benoit Badiashile (unspecified), Levi Colwill (ACL), Romeo Lavia (thigh), Mykhailo Mudryk (suspension) and Omari Kellyman (hamstring) are still sidelined.
Fulham could be without Timothy Castagne and Issa Diop after the pair suffered knocks in their 2-1 Carabao Cup victory against Bristol City.
Harry Wilson (foot) faces a late fitness check.
When is Kick-Off?
Chelsea host Fulham at Stamford Bridge on Saturday 30 August at 12:30pm BST, live on TNT Sports 1 in the UK.
Stat Attack
- Chelsea have avoided defeat in four of their last six league meetings against Fulham (W3, D1, L2).
- Fulham have won just one of their last 20 league visits to Chelsea (W1, D7, L12).
- Last season’s meetings saw the team playing away from home emerge victorious, with both clashes having ended in 2-1 results.
- Chelsea are yet to lose a London derby at home in 2025 (W2, D1)
- Fulham are looking to avoid suffering three consecutive draws for the first time since December 2024.
Prediction
After their uninspiring opening-weekend draw against Crystal Palace, Chelsea certainly bounced back with a ruthless display at West Ham after a sloppy start but they will need more of the same if they’re to beat a well-organised resilient Fulham defence, albeit with patience.
Fulham meanwhile will be glad to have found their first win of the season in a dominantly clinical display against Bristol City, but they can’t afford to allow their intensity to dip at any stage knowing how dangerous Chelsea’s attack is otherwise they could be in trouble.
I however do feel that this will be tightly fought such is Fulham’s defensive resilience and organisation but Chelsea should have the edge.
Prediction: Chelsea 2-1 Fulham
Result: Chelsea 2-0 Fulham
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