Draw-specialists Fulham host London-rivals Chelsea

Fulham vs Chelsea - 16/01/2021

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Fulham will be looking to build on their impressive draw with Tottenham Hotspur when they welcome London rivals Chelsea to Craven Cottage on Saturday.

Scott Parker’s side are still in the relegation zone on 12 points, although a streak of five straight draws has seen them move to within two points of safety.

Meanwhile, a run of one win in six games has seen Chelsea slip to ninth in the standings on 26 points – ten points behind leaders Manchester United.

Fulham appeared to be heading for their first defeat in five games on Wednesday, with Spurs leading 1-0 for the majority of the match.

But following a spirited second-half display, Parker’s men recorded 15 shots (four on target) as Ivan Cavaleiro netted a late equaliser.

The Cottagers have failed to win any of their previous six Premier League outings, but five draws during that period prove that they are up for the fight.

Including a 2-0 FA Cup victory over QPR last weekend, Fulham have kept three clean sheets in their last five matches in all competitions.

On the flip side, Chelsea beat Morecambe 4-0 in the FA Cup last weekend, thanks to goals from Mason Mount, Timo Werner, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Kai Havertz.

However, the Blues’ Premier League form has taken a turn for the worse in recent weeks, with just one victory coming in their last six games.

Defeats to Everton, Wolves, Arsenal, and Manchester City, along with a draw against Aston Villa, have left Chelsea’s European aspirations hanging in the balance.

After gaining a reputation for having a defence earlier in the campaign, Frank Lampard’s side have now failed to keep a clean sheet in just one of their last seven league outings.

Head-to-head: Remarkably, Fulham haven’t been Chelsea since 2006. The two sides have faced each other 19 times in all competitions since then.

The Blues head into Saturday’s clash on a five-game winning streak against the Cottagers, scoring 12 goals along the way.

Team news: Ruben Loftus-Cheek will be unable to face his parent club this weekend, while Aleksandar Mitrovic, Tom Cairney and Mario Lemina are all injury doubts for Fulham.

As for Chelsea, N’Golo Kante is suspended after picking up five yellow cards, although Reece James and Andreas Christensen are expected to be fit.

There is no denying that Fulham have turned a corner in recent weeks, but Chelsea should have enough quality to beat the Cottagers.

Forebet predicts that Chelsea will keep a clean sheet at Craven Cottage on Saturday, scoring over 1.5 goals in the process.

Home team
Away team

Probability %

1X2

Pred

Correct score

Avg. goals

Weather conditions

Coef.

Score

Live
coef.

EPL

Fulham Chelsea 16/01/2021 18:30

203941

2

0 - 2

2.26

7°

1.54

6.50 4.25 1.54 -1 1 1

FT

0 - 1(0 - 0)

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