Game Week 33 Predictions: Chelsea and Fulham to score

Fulham host Chelsea with both sides eyeing European spots. Fulham dream of UCL, Chelsea seek revival. Verdict: Both teams to score.

Chelsea's hopes of playing in the Champions League next season is under threat with Fulham also dreaming the competition, who would have the last laugh at Craven Cottage on Sunday? (Photo credit: GOAL)

 Fulham vs Chelsea

Craven Cottage

2:00pm

Sunday offers us a range of interesting fixtures in the Premier League, and the first of those is this one at Craven Cottage between Fulham and Chelsea.

The Lilywhites have the dream of a possible Champions League football next season; they’re not in pole position and really do not stand lots of chances; however, it is mathematically possible, and it starts from whatever they do in this fixture.

Nine points separate Fulham and the fifth spot, which would be enough for a Champions League ticket, but Marco Silva’s side has Nottingham Forest, Aston Villa, Chelsea and Bournemouth to contend with, with Forest currently sitting in the fifth spot.

Chelsea are struggling; no one saw their latest result coming as they lost at home to Legia Warsaw in the Europa Conference League. The Blues won the first leg in Poland convincingly; however, their second leg performance left too much to be desired.

Enzo Maresca is under fire for the team’s poor run. The Italian insists his side will get back on track, but he needs Cole Palmer and Nicolas Jackson to start scoring again. The duo have blown hot and cold recently, with Palmer failing to reach the heights of last season.

Chelsea currently sit in 7th, which isn’t where they would love to be; however, a win in this fixture takes them up to fifth, but they would need Nottingham Forest to lose for them to end the game week in fifth, and this also depends on Aston Villa not picking up any points from their midweek game against City.

How did Chelsea get here? They were title contenders for a little while earlier in the season and then looked like a top four side, how did they fall off badly? From the manager’s tinkering to the players losing steam, they must all get a grip now.

How will they line up? Romeo Lavia is back to full fitness, which means the midfield can receive some fresh breath. Maresca needs to understand that the Chris Nkunku experiment isn’t working; Nicolas Jackson upfront is the way to go with Pedro Neto and Jaden Sancho flanking him.

Alex Iwobi is the key man in midfield for Fulham. Will Rodrigo Muniz start ahead of Raul Jimenez? Will there be a space in the starting lineup for Andreas Pereira? Marco Silva has a huge chance to beat Chelsea; his team is on an upward trajectory, and they cannot afford to slip up.

Verdict: Both teams to score.