Fulham v Chelsea: Line-ups, stats and preview

Match Preview for Fulham v Chelsea

Calum McFarlane is hoping his short spell in charge of Chelsea will be capped with a win at Fulham tomorrow night.

McFarlane stepped up from being the club’s Under-21 boss to take the first team for Sunday’s game at Manchester City following the departure on New Year’s Day of Enzo Maresca.

Chelsea this morning confirmed the appointment of Liam Rosenior as their new head coach on a six-and-a-half-year deal but the former Strasbourg boss will be in the stands at Craven Cottage with McFarlane on the touchline for the final time.

And a repeat of the performance at the Etihad, which saw Enzo Fernández earn a share of the spoils with a late equaliser, would be the perfect way to sign off, according to McFarlane.

Asked what he was hoping for from his side, he said: “The same thing we did against City. Try and prepare with the limited time we have as best we can and try and build on that second-half performance. They know the belief we have in them and we just want to keep reinforcing that.”

The visitors will be boosted by the return of Moises Caicedo from suspension and McFarlane hinted the Ecuador international would come straight back into the starting XI.

He added: “Everyone knows how well Moises has played this year. Since he’s come to the club, he’s a top player, potentially the best player in the world in his position. I think he’ll help us with that tomorrow. 

“We definitely missed elements of his game in that first-half [at City]. But like you said, Andrey [Santos] came on, was exceptional in the second-half, really gave us a foothold to control the game both in and out of possession. So, I’m hoping Moises not being suspended, being available, we should be able to really control that midfield area.”

Chelsea go into the game in fifth place in the Premier League and McFarlane believes it is an exciting time to be a Blues fan.

“Definitely. Really talented group, young, hungry, have shown they can play at the top, top level against top, top sides,” he said. “Anyone associated with the club should be proud of their performance on Sunday and moving forward, this team has massive, massive potential so we should all be excited.”

Fulham go into the game buoyed by their last-gasp 2-2 draw with champions Liverpool on Sunday, courtesy of Harrison Reed’s incredible late strike.

The Cottagers also have an added incentive to beat their local rivals after losing 2-0 at Stamford Bridge in August in a game best remembered for the incorrect disallowing of a Fulham goal – a fact later acknowledged by referees’ chief Howard Webb.

“It’s special,” Fulham boss Marco Silva said of the fixture. “It’s special, because we know what’s happened. We look for last season, how we won away, how we lost at home, both games with late goals.

“It really hurt ourselves, our fans, this football club, the way we were not able to win the game at Stamford Bridge [this season].

“The way the team performed almost perfectly first half, in a really tough game against a top, top side, the way the team performed, and everything that happened in that game, really hurt this football club. I’m not talking about one or two persons, or just the players – us, the football club, the way that things happened that Saturday morning.

“It is what it is – now it’s another opportunity for us to enjoy, to embrace a big challenge with our fans to play a derby like a derby should be played. Simple as that.

“It’s a new game, a new story. I don’t want anyone to think about the past, we have to look for the future, and what’s going to be most important is the next one. It’s a special game.”

Team News for Fulham v Chelsea

Fulham will be without Calvin Bassey, Alex Iwobi and Samuel Chukwueze who are still at the Africa Cup of Nations. Josh King, Kenny Tete and Rodrigo Muniz are injured. Ryan Sessegnon may make the bench.

Caicedo returns for Chelsea while Robert Sanchez, Marc Cucurella and Wesley Fofana, who missed the City game, could also be back from minor niggles. Levi Colwill and Romeo Lavia are sidelined.

Predicted line-ups for Fulham v Chelsea

Fulham: Leno; Diop, Andersen, Cuenca; Castagne, Lucic, Berge, Robinson; Wilson, Smith-Rowe, Jimenez

Chelsea: Sanchez; James, Chalobah, Badiashile, Cucurella; Caicedo, Fernandez, Neto, Palmer, Estevao; Pedro

How to watch Fulham v Chelsea: TV and online streams

Fulham versus Chelsea kicks off at 7.30pm tomorrow night. It is available on Sky Sports in the UK and can be streamed via the Sky Go app.

It can be viewed worldwide via your local Premier League rights holder. For full listings, click HERE.

Stats for Fulham v Chelsea

• Fulham have only won one of their last five games against Chelsea
• There have been three or more goals scored in each of Chelsea’s last four games