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Chelsea play a West London derby this Monday with the short trip to Craven Cottage. Here’s a look at the potential Chelsea predicted lineup vs Fulham with Cole Palmer hoping to come in for his first Premier League start since joining the club.
The Blues need a win to lift spirits and start climbing the table after a poor start to the new Premier League season.
Fulham vs Chelsea Premier League team news
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The Fulham vs Chelsea H2H is stacked in the favor of the Blues who have five times as many wins in the fixture as their near neighbours. Mauricio Pochettino will be hoping that a visit to what has historically been a happy hunting ground can revitalise his team but he has some big selection calls to make.
Chelsea have a host of injury problems though which will force the Argentine boss’ hand to some extent. Nicolas Jackson’s suspension also leaves the visitors very short on forward options given Christopher Nkunku is still at least a couple of months away from a return.
Given their aggressive recruitment over the past eighteen months, not many of the Chelsea players have much history in this fixture. One man who does is Ben Chilwell who boasts an unbeaten record against Fulham in his career but the left back suffered a fresh injury setback this week.
Chelsea predicted lineup
Sanchez, Cucurella, Colwill, Thiago Silva, Disasi, Caicedo, Fernandez, Gallagher, Mudryk, Sterling, Palmer
Chelsea predicted lineup vs Fulham – Our top three
Cole Palmer – Can the youngster make the difference?
Chelsea have endured a frustrating start to the season with only 5 goals and 5 points from 6 games. Given those stats, it’s perhaps a surprise that big money summer signing Cole Palmer has been restricted to only 77 minutes of Premier League football so far for his new club.
Palmer is yet to score a Premier League goal in his career but has netted in the Champions League, Community Shield, League Cup and UEFA Super Cup which suggests it won’t be long before he opens his league account.
The suspension of Jackson could see Chelsea move Raheem Sterling into a central role here which may allow Palmer to come into the side on the right flank after an impressive cameo against Aston Villa last weekend. That would set up a potential duel against Fulham left back Antonee Robinson.
Enzo Fernandez – Midfielder bids to open up the Cottagers
Enzo Fernandez is one of a number of recent Chelsea signings who there is clearly more to come from. He boasts an outstanding 90% passing accuracy in the Premier League this season in a team that has frequently dominated possession.
However in a more advanced midfield role, the onus is on Fernandez to unlock opposition defences and create chances and goals. He has only registered 2 assists in all competitions for Chelsea since joining from Benfica in January.
Raheem Sterling – A new role on Monday?
Chelsea’s striker problem has been the talk of the Premier League since early on last season and six games into the new campaign, it’s still an issue. That’s partly down to misfortune with injuries which has thrust youngster Nicolas Jackson immediately into the limelight.
The former Villarreal man has shown flashes of potential and scored in the EFL Cup in midweek but his suspension means Raheem Sterling could occupy the role here. Sterling averages 2.3 shots per game this term and has scored twice with both goals coming against Luton.
Will Cole Palmer play against Fulham?
Cole Palmer started the EFL Cup win over Brighton and has his best chance of starting a Premier League game for Chelsea for the first time here.
His involvement from the off is not a certainty though. One other option for Pochettino would be to instead opt for Armando Broja to lead the line which would push Sterling back out wide and most likely consign Palmer to a place on the bench once more.
Chelsea predicted lineup vs Fulham – The final word
This is always a big fixture in this part of London, with Fulham desperate to get one over on their glamorous neighbours. The Blues will be out for revenge after defeat here last season but local pride will be far from the mind of the Chelsea boss.
He’s desperate for a win and Chelsea need results and fast if they are to stay in touch with the other European hopefuls. There is no quick fix to their goalscoring problems though and this could be another frustrating evening for Blues fans unless one of their talented individuals can produce some magic.
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