Game Week 7 Predictions: Chelsea to beat Fulham

Willian will lineup against his former club but Chelsea is under immense pressure to find a win to halt the ugly run of horrible results. (Photo credit: Sky Sports)

Fulham vs. Chelsea
Craven Cottage
8:00pm

Chelsea needs a break; they can’t get anything right, and folks won’t stop talking about how much they spent over the last two windows, but it is what it is; they have to face the heat.

Fulham has bragging rights with respect to the geographical location; the Lilywhites own the ground and had to share a part of West London with the Blues, and despite how rich Chelsea became overnight, the OG’s of the West won’t cede their pride to the Blues.

Chelsea lost at home again last weekend to Aston Villa, and they also lost Malo Gusto to suspension after the youngster was sent off for an irrational tackle. Ollie Watkins’ strike condemned the Blues to their third defeat of the season, leaving them 15th on the log.

Fulham has had a fair start to the season and would hope to continue with their giant strides when their neighbours come into town. Marco Silva’s side sits in 12^th on the log, and a win on Monday could get them as high as 10^th, sending Manchester United out of the top ten.

Both clubs won their respective last games, but both were Carabao Cup fixtures, and both by one goal margin. The Lilywhites beat Norwich 2-1, while Chelsea beat Brighton 1-0 at Stamford Bridge. Both teams would seek to build on that as this fixture beckons.

Mauricio Pochettino is under pressure, so intense he needs results to show for the massive spend and the belief in him by his employers; the Argentine hasn’t been helped by injuries and suspensions, with Jackson set to sit this one out after bagging five yellow cards in six games.

Fulham needs goal scorers in their ranks. The departure of Alexander Mitrovic has created a void that Raul Jimenez can’t fill, and as things stand, with Vinicius also struggling in front of goal, wingers and midfield players need to step up to assist with goals.

Chelsea can welcome back Reece James and Benoit Badiashile after both recovering from injuries, but Ben Chilwell is ruled out, and he joins the lot on the sidelines for the Blues. Striker Armando Broja is available to start.

Fulham has a host of names on the sidelines too; Adama Traore, Calvin Bassey, and Tosin Adarabioyo are all ruled out, with Kenny Tete also struggling for fitness. Joao Palhinha is available, and Brazilian winger Willian is too.

Both sides need to go for this; it’s an opportunity for Chelsea to halt the rot and push for redemption, while Fulham won’t get a better time to hurt Chelsea. The Lilywhites won this fixture last season, with Joao Felix getting sent off on his debut.