Game Week 1 Predictions: Chelsea and Fulham to rain goals at Craven Cottage

Fulham vs Chelsea preview: Alonso’s Blues visit Craven Cottage as two new Spanish bosses meet in a London derby.

This feels more like a random London derby. Xabi Alonso and Álvaro Arbeloa's debut in their respective dugouts. How will this one play out? (Photo credit: Sky Sports)

 Fulham vs Chelsea

Craven Cottage

8:00pm

Another two clubs with two new managers wrap up the first game week of the new season. Both are from Spain, and both have Real Madrid affiliations. This match is more than a regular London derby.

Fulham will start a Premier League game without Marco Silva, following the Portuguese manager's exit to Benfica. Chelsea will also line up on Monday night with Xabi Alonso taking to the dugout as their permanent manager.

You clearly don't know what to expect from these two clubs in a fixture like this. The Lilywhites finished outside the top ten last season, but Chelsea didn't do a lot better than them. The Blues finished in tenth place, completely out of European competitions.

Alvaro Arbeloa has benefited immensely from his relationship with Real Madrid, picking up a couple of players from the club he played for and managed. The goal for Fulham is to start strongly; the competition for European places will be stiff, so a strong start is important.

For Alonso, he's at a club where the patience is thin. There are rumours that the club hierarchy wants to sell stakes, but that will not offer the former Bayer Leverkusen and Real Madrid manager more time on the job. All eyes will be on Alonso from day one.

The club has also invested in the squad for Alonso. Morgan Rogers arrived from Aston Villa for a club-record fee, and a few signings joined too. Xabi Alonso will be judged by style of play, team culture, and results. Alonso must start well, too.

How will they line up? Josh Cuenca and Calvin Bassey are expected to line up together in the heart of the defense, while the midfield is expected to feature Sander Berge, Alex Iwobi, and Josh King. There's no Rodrigo Muniz due to injury, and Raul Jimenez has returned to Wolves; so, Gonzalo Garcia, fresh from Real Madrid is expected to lead the line.

For Chelsea, we'll love to see the chosen eleven by Alonso. What we know for sure is that Reece James, Levi Colwill, Max Lacroix, Moises Caicedo, Morgan Rogers, Cole Palmer, and Joao Pedro will all feature. The other places are up for competition.

It's a London derby with a touch of Los Blancos rivalry. Many teams have picked important wins to start the new season, it's important to Chlesea and Fulham to start the best way possible. We expect goals from this one.

Verdict: Over 2.5 goals.