14 hours Ago By Evening Standard
today look to return to winning ways as they host in a London derby on Boxing Day. ’s side were on Sunday in tricky conditions at Goodison Park, and it leaves them four points behind leaders Liverpool having played a game more. The Blues had been on an eight-match winning run before that and will be keen to end 2024 on a high, with this their final match at Stamford Bridge this year.
Fulham sit ninth in the table having drawn four of their last five matches, though three of those came against Tottenham, Arsenal and Liverpool as they put together an impressive run. Chelsea vs Fulham is scheduled for a 3pm BST kick-off today, Thursday, December 26, 2024. The match will take place at Stamford Bridge : The game will be broadcast on Amazon Prime Video.
: Subscribers will be able to watch on a live stream via the Amazon Prime website or app. You can follow all the action on matchday via ’s live blog, featuring expert analysis from Malik Ouzia at the ground. Marc Cucurella is available for Chelsea again after suspension and should come straight back into the side, with Axel Disasi the most likely to drop out of the starting lineup.
Reece James has returned to training but this match is likely to come too soon. Romeo Lavia has been out since the win over Tottenham earlier this month and will miss out once again this afternoon. For Fulham, Kenny Tete is facing a lengthy spell on the sidelines and so Timothy Castagne is expected to continue in defence.
Reiss Nelson is set to be out for another two months with a hamstring injury, while Emile Smith Rowe will hope to return after missing the draw with Southampton. Only Manchester City have beaten Chelsea at Stamford Bridge this season. The Blues are consistently impressive on home soil and should enjoy this match more than the Everton clash last time out, with Fulham unlikely to come just to sit back and defend.
Clean sheets are a rarity for Chelsea and there could be goals at both ends, but Enzo Maresca’s side should have enough to win. Chelsea wins: 52 Draws: 27 Fulham wins: 12 Chelsea to win: 2/5 Draw: 11/4 Fulham to win: 9/2.
