Chelsea travel to Craven Cottage to face Fulham in the Premier League on Monday evening and may fancy their chances of picking up all three points after beating Brighton & Hove Albion in midweek. The Blues enjoyed a 1-0 win over the Seasiders on Wednesday to seal their place in round four of the EFL Cup, so Mauricio Pochettino will be desperate for his side to pick up where they left off.
Fulham are coming off the back of a win over Norwich City that sent them into the EFL Cup fourth round, but they haven’t been as convincing in the league. The Cottagers have won only one of their last five games and have shipped 10 goals for their troubles. Chelsea lost their last league outing, so they’re far from the finished article too.
Chelsea dominate Fulham in head-to-heads
Fulham picked up all three points in this fixture last season, winning 2-1 at Craven Cottage in January, but that is the only victory they’ve managed over Chelsea since 2006. The Cottagers have an awful record against their West London rivals no matter the venue, so Chelsea might hold the psychological edge even if the results haven’t been great.
In the last five meetings at the Cottage, Chelsea have won four and lost one, scoring 10 goals and conceding four. They’ve lost only twice away to Fulham post-millennium and have failed to score only once in 17 years. This has been a happy place for the Blues to come.
Lack of goals might be a factor
Chelsea have a great record on the road to Fulham, but they might have a problem scoring this time round. Pochettino’s men have netted only one goal in their last three Premier League games while bagging more than one goal in only one game this season. Fulham have kept back-to-back clean sheets ahead of Monday’s clash, so they might believe they can shut Chelsea out.
Nicolas Jackson being suspended isn’t good news for the Blues either, as Pochettino might be forced to play an unfit Armando Broja up front or Raheem Sterling who hasn’t scored in his last four appearances across the board. Both Fulham and Chelsea aren’t in the best shape, so Monday’s clash is too close to call.
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