Chelsea will welcome Fulham at Stamford Bridge this Saturday afternoon as they look to secure a win in the Premier League. The Blues suffered a 1-0 defeat away at Middlesbrough in midweek, so they would be eager to bounce back by putting in a much-improved performance in this London derby.
Mauricio Pochettino will stick with his favoured 4-2-3-1 formation and is expected to name a strong first XI for this game. Christopher Nkunku could get a chance to play from the start of this contest if he can recover in time from his injury.
4-2-3-1 Chelsea Predicted Lineup To Face Fulham
Defence
Dorde Petrovic will continue to function in goal for Chelsea after shipping in one goal in his last outing. Thiago Silva will resume his defensive partnership with Axel Disasi at the centre of Pochettino’s backline as they try to keep the Fulham attackers frustrated throughout the 90 minutes.
Malo Gusto will operate as the right-back while Levi Colwill fills in on the other flank as the left-back. Both of them will have to pick and choose their moments to join in on the attack.
Alfie Gilchrist will have to settle for a spot on the bench as he offers cover for the defensive positions.
Midfield
Conor Gallagher and Moises Caicedo will anchor the midfield for Chelsea as they try to win the 50-50 duels at the centre of the park. Both of them need to retain possession well if they want to cause some problems for the Fulham defendes.
The talented trio of Raheem Sterling, Cole Palmer and Noni Madueke will play just ahead of them as part of Pochettino’s attack. All three of them will have to combine well if the Blues are to create enough chances to win this London derby.
Mykhailo Mudryk and Enzo Fernandez will be named on the bench as they wait for their chance to impress in the second 45 minutes if Pochettino decides to call upon their services.
Attack
Christopher Nkunku could spearhead Chelsea’s attack if he can recover in time for this game. Armando Broja will offer cover for him on the bench and might come on to influence the game in the latter stages if the Blues are in need of a goal by then.
