Chelsea fans pick preferred lineup for Fulham clash, January signing tipped to earn first start for club

Chelsea fans have suggested a litany of changes to the Blues' line-up for their match against Fulham.

Graham Potter's side will meet the Cottagers at Craven Cottage on Thursday, January 12, for a Premier League encounter. The visitors will enter this match on the back of a harrowing 4-0 defeat at the hands of Manchester City in the third round of the FA Cup four days back.

Potter was criticized for his starting XI in the loss to City as youngsters Lewis Hall and Bashir Humphrey started the game. Fans and pundits believe that a domestic cup run was the Blues' best chance of winning a trophy this season as they sit 10th in the Premier League.

With that no longer a possibility following exits from both the EFL Cup and the FA Cup, Chelsea will now shift their focus to entering the top four of the Premier League. Against an upbeat Fulham side that sits seventh in the standings, the Blues will need to be at their best.

Fans of the club believe Potter needs to make at least six changes to his team that lost to City, according to an article by We Ain't Got No History. They voted for Hall, Humphreys, Kalidou Koulibaly, Jorginho, Conor Gallagher and Hakim Ziyech to all be dropped from their starting XI.

Here is the Chelsea faithful's preferred line-up to face Fulham (4-2-3-1 formation):

Kepa Arrizabalaga; Marc Cucurella (for Hall), Thiago Silva (for Koulibaly), Trevoh Chalobah, Cesar Azpilicueta (for Humphreys); Mateo Kovacic, Denis Zakaria (for Jorginho); Carney Chukwuemeka (for Ziyech), Kai Havertz, Mason Mount; David Datro Fofana.

It's worth noting that this line-up, if chosen by Potter, would give Datro Fofana his first start since arriving from Molde FK in the summer. Additionally, the vote took place prior to the Premier League giants signing Joao Felix on loan from Atletico Madrid.

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Chelsea have won their last seven meetings with Fulham

Chelsea have held a clear edge over Fulham in recent years, having won their last seven match-ups by an aggregate score of 15-2. The Blues have also not lost to the Cottagers since March 2006 when the latter won 1-0 at home.

The most recent meetings between the two teams came during the 2020-21 Premier League season.

Their first clash was at Craven Cottage in January 2021, with Chelsea winning 1-0 thanks to a 78th-minute strike from Mason Mount. The reverse fixture at Stamford Bridge ended in a 2-0 victory for the Blues, with Kai Havertz scoring a brace.