Fulham – Chelsea

Fulham will try to clinch points against Chelsea

A missed match in the seventh round of the Premier League between the London teams will dilute the period of national cup competitions in England somewhat. What adds particular charm to one of the capital's many derbies is that the rivals' performances this season have erased the difference in class between the clubs. Chelsea, who spent arguably the most on transfers in world football in the off-season and sacked the undesirable Tuchel in September, are not reaching their goals in any of the national competitions. Fulham, for their part, are exceeding all pre-season expectations. "The Cottagers cling to points in every encounter and achieve success on many occasions, keeping them close to the Eurocup zone. The bookmakers have in retrospect identified Chelsea as the favourites to win, with odds of just over two. Fulham are comfortably in seventh place ahead of their next league clash. The level of play is underlined by the fact that the club from the outskirts of London picked a similar number of points as Liverpool. The most successful for the Cottagers was their return after the World Cup break. In addition to league victories over Crystal Palace, Leicester and Southampton, Fulham knocked Hull City out of the FA Cup a few days ago, securing a trip to the 1/16 finals. A 100% result in recent weeks would certainly add to the confidence of Mitrovic and company. Chelsea approach the meeting with the countrymen in a disgusting mood. Not only did they fail to beat Nottingham Forest 1-1 on the first day of this year, they also lost twice to Manchester City, 0-5 on aggregate, including their FA Cup exit. Graeme Potter's side are now tenth, already ten points adrift of the Champions League zone. Ironically, the Blues are also ten points adrift of the Championship relegation zone, but few people are paying attention. Last season, Chelsea beat Fulham 1-0 and 2-0 on aggregate. The difference in strength between the two sides is now very different from 2021. The fact that the Cottagers scored one and a half times as many goals as the Blues over the past period of the season is nothing short of remarkable. Let's bet on competitive football and the exchange of goals.