Chelsea vs Fulham Prediction and Analysis: How to neutralize the visiting team

Latest Chelsea vs Fulham team news

Chelsea are expected to make changes to their defense after the draw with Everton, with Axel Disasi playing right-back and Malo Gusto moving to left-back. With Marc Cucurella's suspension ending, manager Mauricio Pochettino may opt for a more traditional defensive setup. Romeo Lavia is likely to return from injury, after the manager confirmed the Everton match was too soon for the Belgian midfielder. However, Reece James and Wesley Fofana remain absent due to hamstring injuries. Centre-back Benoit Badiashile is still unavailable, but Tosin Adarabioyo impressed, particularly with a crucial save against Everton's Iliman Ndiaye.

On Fulham's side, Emile Smith Rowe could remain sidelined due to a leg injury, following his loss to Southampton. Marco Silva's side also faces difficulties in midfield as both Sasa Lukic and Sander Berge are doubtful. However, Fulham welcome back Andreas Pereira after his suspension, who could replace Josh King, the young talent who recently made an impressive Premier League debut. Fulham will also be without Kenny Tete and Reiss Nelson, both injured and out until at least February. Silva will have to decide between Raul Jimenez and Rodrigo Muniz for the center forward position, after Muniz started against Southampton.

Latest predicted lineups for Chelsea vs Fulham

Chelsea:

Sanchez; Gusto, Tosin, Colwill, Cucurella; Enzo, Caicedo; Pedro Neto, Palmer, Madueke; Jackson

Fulham:

Leno; Castagne, Andersen, Bassey, Robinson; Cairney, Pereira, Iwobi; Wilson, Jimenez, Adama

Latest football match prediction: Chelsea vs Fulham

Chelsea's run of five consecutive Premier League wins came to an end with a 0-0 draw against Everton on Sunday. This was the first time Enzo Maresca's side failed to win since their 1-1 draw with Arsenal before the international break, and the first time they failed to score in the Premier League since the opening day. Despite this, Chelsea maintained their unbeaten run of 12 matches and have a favorable schedule ahead.

Chelsea will have a chance to catch up with Liverpool in the title race with matches against Fulham, Ipswich Town, Crystal Palace, Bournemouth, and Wolves. However, any slip-up could put them in a difficult position. Chelsea's current points total of 35 is the lowest for a second-placed team at Christmas since 2010, highlighting the fierce competition in this year's league.

The head-to-head history favors Chelsea, with a run of 19 unbeaten matches at Stamford Bridge since 1979. They also won two Boxing Day matches against London teams during their championship seasons of 2005-06 and 2014-15.

Fulham missed the chance to close the gap on the leaders with a 0-0 draw at home against Southampton. Despite notable shots from Harry Wilson and Adama Traore, Fulham couldn't make a difference. They are currently just two points away from European qualification but are struggling with too many draws. In their last six games, they've only won one, and Chelsea isn't an ideal opponent to improve their form.

Fulham have only won twice in 34 Premier League encounters against Chelsea, a win rate of 6%, the lowest among teams that have met at least 20 times. Manager Marco Silva also has an unimpressive record against Chelsea, winning only 2 out of 10 meetings while managing Fulham, Watford, and Everton.

Predicting the score for Chelsea vs Fulham

Based on the above football analysis, we and leading football websites worldwide have provided our predictions for the match.Chelsea vs Fulhamas follows:

• Sportsmole:Chelsea 2-0 Fulham

• WhoScore:Chelsea 3-1 Fulham
• Our newspaper predicts:Chelsea 2-0 Fulham

When and where can I watch Chelsea vs Fulham live?

To watch the Chelsea vs Fulham match live in the English Premier League at 10:00 PM on December 26th, viewers can tune in to the following channels:K+ Sport,K+PMor online sports channels. We hope you enjoy watching football.

Luong Dam