Chelsea will be bidding to get back to winning ways in the Premier League when they host west London rivals Fulham at Stamford Bridge on Friday evening.
The Blues have dropped to tenth on the Premier League table following a return of just one win in the last five games. This leaves them 10 points behind fourth-place Manchester United. Graham Potter’s side head into the London derby on the back of a 0-0 draw with Liverpool away.
Revenge will be in Chelsea’s sights against Fulham as they were beaten 2-1 at Craven Cottage a few weeks ago.
Chelsea Team News
Chelsea have received a double-injury boost, as full-backs Ben Chilwell and Reece James are hopeful to make their long-awaited return from injury at home to Fulham. The duo have recently returned to training and could be included in the squad after recovering from their respective injury issues.
But Chelsea still have a long absentee list with Wesley Fofana, Edouard Mendy, Denis Zakaria, Raheem Sterling, N’Golo Kante, Armando Broja and Christian Pulisic still sidelined, while loanee Joao Felix will serve the last of his three-match ban, having picked up a red card against Fulham earlier in the month.
Meanwhile, the Pensioners have agreed a deal to sign right-back Malo Gusto and loan him back to Lyon for the rest of the season.
Predicted Chelsea Lineup vs Fulham (4-2-3-1)
Goalkeeper
Kepa Arrizabalaga kept a clean sheet in the 0-0 draw with Liverpool at Anfield, and the Spaniard will be eager to shut the shop as quickly as possible against Fulham.
Defence
Graham Potter could revert to a 4-2-3-1 formation from the 3-4-2-1 he used at Liverpool, with Trevoh Chalobah dropping out of the starting XI. One could see Thiago Silva partnering Benoit Badiashile at the heart of Chelsea’s backline, with Cesar Azpilicueta operating from the right-back position.
Reece James and Ben Chilwell recovering from injury problems is a big boost but the duo are likely to only make the bench against Fulham if deemed fully fit, meaning Lewis Hall could get the nod to start at left-back.
Midfield
Jorginho took off to Arsenal on transfer deadline day, so Ruben Loftus-Cheek could replace him in midfield on Friday. Loftus-Cheek may start in the double pivot with Conor Gallagher, with the duo expected to be tasked with keeping things to tick over in the middle of the park.
Mason Mount has gone off the boil since the resumption of the Premier League, yet he should keep his place in the team. The England international should be eager to impact the proceedings in the final third from his favoured no.10 role.
Attack
New signing Mykhaylo Mudryk dazzled on his Chelsea debut after coming on in the second half against Liverpool. A bag full of tricks, the Ukrainian is pushing for a start against Fulham. He could start on the left flank, with Hakim Ziyech hoping to bring creativity to Chelsea’s attack from the opposite wing.
Kai Havertz should again be tasked with leading the Blues’ attack, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang set for a role on the bench.