Chelsea FC have certainly had a “dramatic” 2019 to say the least. Perhaps Fulham FC is the perfect opponent right now for the weekend Premier League fixture. Fulham have only emerged victorious once in their past 32 Premier League meetings with Chelsea, and that was 13 years ago.
Since that 1-0 result in favor of the Craven Cottagers, it’s been 17 (10W, 7D) straight unbeaten for the Blues. It’s hard to really call this a West London derby, because all rivalries, by definition, are relatively balanced somewhat.
Meanwhile this series has been as lopsided as it get, and with Fulham now essentially doomed to go down at the end of the season, it’s hard to see just how ambitious they can truly get for a fixture where they will be overmatched.
Let’s take a look at who Maurizio Sarri could slot in his first team, as he strives to keep the dominance going over a side that is now 10 points from safety.
The Bank Chelsea FC Starting XI Prediction vs Fulham
Attack: Callum Hudson-Odoi, Gonzalo Higuain, Willian
Midfield: Mateo Kovacic, Jorginho, Ross Barkley
Defense: Davide Zappacosta, Andreas Christensen, Antonio Rudiger, Emerson Palmieri
Goalkeeper: Kepa Arrizabalaga
Chelsea FC vs Fulham FYIs
Kickoff: Thursday, March 3rd, 2:05 pm, Craven Cottage
Google Result Probability: Chelsea win 64%, Draw 21%, Fulham win 15%
Recent form in Premier League: Fulham LWLLLL Chelsea WLLWLW
Odds via Bet Fair: Chelsea 8/15, Draw 7/2, Fulham 6/1
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, a former writer for NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, regularly appears as a guest pundit on WGN CLTV and co-hosts the “Let’s Get Weird, Sports” podcast on SB Nation.
He also contributes sociopolitical essays to Chicago Now. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram. The content of his cat’s Instagram account is unquestionably superior to his.