Fulham vs Chelsea Prediction 7 January 2026
🔊 How will Chelsea perform without their head coach? The arrival of former Strasbourg manager Rosenoir is expected by the weekend. In the meantime, interim duties fall to Calum Macfarlane, under whom the Blues managed to snatch a draw away at Manchester City. On Wednesday, Chelsea face another away challenge. Though Fulham may not have the same stature, the West London derby adds significance to this clash. Will anyone leave Craven Cottage with all three points, or will the teams settle for a draw as they did in their last two encounters? Our editorial team provides an insightful prediction on these and other possible outcomes.
Head-to-Head
📊 Fulham have proven to be a favorable opponent for Chelsea. In their last 10 encounters, the Blues have claimed victory seven times, while the Cottagers have managed just two wins. The teams settled for a draw on one occasion. Notably, none of these matches saw the total goals exceed 3.5.
H2H Stats Matches and Previous Teams Results
Fulham Team Overview
Fulham are on a solid run, currently unbeaten in their last five Premier League matches. This streak began against teams struggling at the bottom of the table. However, in their recent outings, Fulham held their ground against more formidable opponents like Crystal Palace and Liverpool, both of whom are competing in European tournaments. Consequently, Marco Silva's squad is edging closer to the top ten, sitting in 11th place, just three points shy of the top five.
Fulham have drawn their last two league fixtures, but there's no cause for alarm given the caliber of their opponents. Their most notable recent adversary was Liverpool, who are in the Premier League's top four. The match took place at Craven Cottage, where the hosts had to concede possession to the Reds (42% to 58%), yet they held their own in attack (8 shots to Liverpool's 10). Fulham even opened the scoring, but lost their narrow lead after halftime. A real drama unfolded in stoppage time of the second half: from the 94th to the 97th minute, both teams exchanged goals.
Match Results: Fulham
Chelsea Team Overview
Chelsea's crisis has stretched over 10 matches, during which they have managed just two wins, leading to the dismissal of Enzo Maresca. Surprisingly, during this period, the Blues have only slipped three places in the league standings-from 2nd to 5th. However, the gap to the top three is significantly larger than their lead over the bottom half of the table: 11 points compared to 3.
In their latest Premier League outing, Chelsea, under the guidance of Callum McFarlane, faced Manchester City away. The hosts controlled the game with 58% possession and posed more threats to the Londoners' goal (14 shots to 8). However, this didn't translate into better chances, as the visitors more than doubled the Citizens in expected goals (2.62 to 1.28). Thus, a hard-fought draw, even if secured by the Blues in stoppage time, was a fair result (1-1).
Match Results: Chelsea
Latest news
Fulham
🎙 Fulham's head coach shared his thoughts on their resilient draw against Liverpool. "The first half was good for us in terms of organization, as Liverpool didn't have many chances. We led at halftime, and it was fully deserved. After we equalized, Liverpool improved and gained confidence. They pushed us back and made things difficult, but we responded well and showed composure. In the end, it's a fair result because we shouldn't have lost at all," said Marco Silva.
❌ Fulham's lineup will remain unchanged from the previous round. Kevin Tete, Ryan Sessegnon, Rodrigo Muniz, and Joshua King are still sidelined, although King is nearing recovery from his knee injury. Alex Iwobi, Samuel Chukwueze, and Calvin Bassey have advanced to the quarter-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations with the Nigerian national team.
Chelsea
🎙 Chelsea's interim manager shared his thoughts after the draw with Manchester City. "Personally, it was incredible, like a dream come true. Facing Pep Guardiola in a Premier League match - amazing! I'm really proud of Chelsea's performance! Even if we hadn't equalized, I believe the guys showed character in the second half. I would have been happy either way. It's even better that we did manage to equalize. I feel like we deserved it. We prepared for the game with the desire to win," expressed Callum McFarlane.
❌ Chelsea's injury list is growing. Joining the familiar faces of Levi Colwill, Dario Essugo, and Romeo Lavia over the last three rounds are three more players: Marc Cucurella, Wesley Fofana, and Robert Sanchez. They've missed between one and two matches in Cucurella's case. These are key players in the team's system, so their condition is being assessed for a potential return in the next round.
🟨 Referee and Yellow Cards
The match will be officiated by the main referee Peter Bankes. Over his last 10 Premier League games, he averages four yellow cards per match. Notably, in none of the previous seven head-to-head encounters between these teams has the number been lower. Given the derby status of the upcoming clash, we expect this trend to continue. Moreover, with only three points separating the teams in the league standings, tensions are likely to be high. Our prediction: total yellow cards over 3.5.
⚽️ Goal Prediction
Fulham have been in good form recently, going five Premier League matches unbeaten. Even over a longer stretch, the Cottagers have maintained their scoring prowess, finding the net in 10 consecutive games. Chelsea's struggles extend to their defense, with both teams scoring in five of their recent encounters. We anticipate that at Craven Cottage, both sides will find the back of the net. Editor's pick: both teams to score (yes).
🚩 Corner Prediction
Despite the financial disparity between the clubs, their head-to-head matchups are intensely competitive, befitting a derby. This is evident in the lack of high-scoring games: none of the last 10 meetings have exceeded 3.5 total goals. The focus in these encounters often shifts from final third actions to midfield battles, affecting the number of set pieces near the goal. For instance, the mark of 10.5 corners has been surpassed only twice in the last 10 matches. Therefore, we suggest paying attention to Fulham's corner statistics at home. The Cottagers have taken no more than five corners in six consecutive matches and in six out of seven meetings with Chelsea. Based on this, our choice is: Fulham total corners under 5.5.
Editor's Prediction
The clubs are in contrasting forms at the moment. Chelsea have failed to win in their last four matches, while Fulham remain unbeaten in the same number of games. Despite this, bookmakers confidently favor the "Blues" as the frontrunners for the upcoming clash, and there are reasons to support this choice. Firstly, Fulham have lost five of their last six home games against Chelsea. Secondly, Chelsea's quality, even amidst a slump, allows them to pick up at least minimal points: their last three away games ended in draws. Therefore, a cautious bet on Chelsea to win with a handicap (0) seems reasonable here. Considering Chelsea's performance with an xG of 2.86 away against Manchester City, we predict a 2-1 victory for the visitors.
Betting Tips: Fulham - Chelsea
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Comparison of Teams Stats
Other predictions
