Fulham vs Chelsea: Begin the gauntlet

“The manager has told me all about our games with Chelsea, and it would make us very happy if we can get the result. It’s a chance to create a bit of history, because these are the matches that the fans remember especially. The atmosphere is always good in these types of matches, they’re very noisy and that adds to the experience. I’m sure Craven Cottage will be full and the supporters will be there getting right behind the team.”

Urby Emanuelson is ready for the derby. With a midweek derby at Craven Cottage, arguably the toughest stretch on the Fulham fixture list begins tonight under the lights against Chelsea. Fulham couldn’t have picked a better time to welcome Rafa Benitez’s clan into the friendly confines, as their away form is about as horrid as it could possibly be for a top-5 club at the moment.

State of Fulham:

The Whites reverted back to their away form of old the last two matches, playing odd lineups and shooting for 1 point instead of 3. Martin Jol’s tactics seemed uncharacteristically defensive as opposed to home matches, which seems to contribute to the poor away form. I’ve never been a fan of changing tactics completely when on the road as opposed to home.

Either way, the return to Craven Cottage is a welcome one. Fulham sit on 40 points and 10th in the table, 1 point behind Swansea and 3 back of West Brom, although Southampton and West Ham are 2 points back in the rear view mirror.

This is possibly the toughest stretch on their league schedule of the season. Chelsea visit Craven Cottage, and then they host Arsenal 3 days later before heading out on the road to Merseyside, where Fulham have had exactly zero success in the past. The only consolation is that 4 of the next 5 matches are in the friendly confines.

This is Steve Sidwell’s last suspension match for his straight red a few weeks ago. He’ll be ready to go on the weekend. As for injuries, Damien Duff is out with the thigh strain he suffered against Villa, but that’s about it other than the usual long-term absentees of Mahamadou Diarra and Ashkan Dejagah, both of whom are out for the season. Enoh had some trouble with his ankle in training, but Jol says he’s fit. Don’t be surprised if Frimpong starts with Enoh on the bench, but I’ve said that the last 2 matches and Enoh’s gotten the nod so who knows.

State of Chelsea:

“For us, the disappointment of losing the semi-final against City will be a factor, and we need to make sure we are over that. It’s a derby game, a huge game anyway, and if they win they know they are safe from relegation and can then play without pressure. It’s a tough fixture for us, it always has been. They often raise their game at Craven Cottage, especially against us. We never find it easy to play there, but the pressure is on us now.”

-Petr Cech

Fulham couldn’t have picked a better time to have their match with Chelsea rescheduled to. The Blues have lost their last 3 away matches, and are coming off a defeat to Manchester City in the FA Cup. This will be Chelsea’s 60th match of the season in all competitions, but Jol is correct when he says they have the depth to pull that off.

The Blues will be missing both Ashley Cole and Gary Cahill, and Marko Marin is a gametime decision after picking up a knock in training. Oriol Romeu is a long-term absentee with a knee injury.

Stats of the Week:

- Fulham have drawn in their last 4 league meetings with Chelsea.

- Frank Lampard has scored 6 league goals at Fulham. The only place he’s scored more is Bolton’s Reebok Stadium.

- Demba Ba is the only Chelsea player with 100 or more shots on goal this season.

- On the heels of the Aston Villa draw, Fulham have benefited from 5 own goals this season, most in the league along with Manchester United.

Prediction:

As much as I would like to see Fulham grab points from this, I certainly don’t believe Chelsea will go to their 4th straight away defeat, and even a point will be tough with Cech, Ba, and Torres all in form. I’m going with Chelsea snatching a 2-1 victory at the Cottage. Fulham have it in them to pull this off, but I just don’t see it ultimately happening.

I leave you with Rafa Benitez’s thoughts on the derby:

“Fulham are a very good team, you can see the level they’ve been at in the Premier League for a while. Derbies are different, anything can happen.”

Let’s hope anything can and will happen.