Fulham vs Chelsea is going to be the first game since January 2021 that Thomas Tuchel isn’t on the bench of the London Blues. The man who led Chelsea to the Champions League triumph in 2021 got sacked on Wednesday morning following a series of embarrassing results.
Chelsea owners are on the hunt for a new permanent manager right now, but until they find one, Tuchel’s former assistant Anthony Barry will probably be in the caretaker manager role. The 36-year-old is expected to make his managerial debut on Saturday, September 10, in Chelsea’s Premier League clash with Fulham.
Fulham vs Chelsea Odds
Moneyline
| Fulham | +320 |
| Draw | +280 |
| Chelsea | -125 |
Goals Over/Under
| Over 2.5 | -125 |
| Under 2.5 | +100 |
When, Where, and How to Watch?
- Date: Saturday, September 10
- Time: 7:30 AM ET
- Place: Craven Cottage in London
- How to Watch: USA Network
Fulham are Punching Above Their Weight in 2022-23 Premier League
The Cottagers played in the Championship last season and were one of the top candidates for relegation before the start of the 2022-23 season. However, after six rounds of the Prem, Fulham are sitting in the middle of the table with a 2-2-2 record (nine points) and a score differential of 9-9.
What’s interesting is that both of those losses happened on the road, against teams that are way richer and stronger than them. Fulham lost 2-1 both to Arsenal and Tottenham. When it comes to the two games they drew, one was against Wolves on the road; the other one was against Liverpool at home.
Speaking of Fulham’s home results, this team is still without a loss at Craven Cottage. Apart from drawing with Liverpool, they also beat Brentford and Brighton at home.
In each of those games, Aleksandar Mitrovic was their crucial player. The big Serbian has six goals to his name in the Prem so far. Chelsea players know this, which is why we can expect them to be more conservative in Saturday’s games, putting more resources on handling Mitrovic.
Chelsea Needs to Pull Themselves Together ASAP
Since Round 1 when they beat Everton 1-0, Chelsea hasn’t kept a clean sheet. We’re not just talking about the Premier League, but the Champions League as well. Last Tuesday, they lost 1-0 against Dinamo Zagreb, which prompted the Chelsea bosses to sack Tuchel.
The Blues really need to do better in the defense, although their offense has been underachieving as well. However, when it comes to Chelsea’s attack, they had an excuse as until recently, they didn’t have a natural striker on the roster. However, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is now on the squad, ready to help the Blues improve their attacking yield.
Fulham vs Chelsea Prediction
Anthony Barry (or whoever gets in Chelsea’s hot seat on Saturday) will probably want to make sure his team doesn’t get embarrassed again. Rather than rushing toward the opposition goal at any cost, the Blues are more likely to play more cautiously.
As a result, they probably won’t concede too many goals to Fulham. However, we probably also won’t see them score a lot. That said, no one should be surprised if the game finishes in a draw.
Picks: Fulham and Chelsea to draw; under 2.5 goals