Chelsea take on the visitors Fulham in the round 3 match of English Premier League. The match will be played on Saturday, August 30th at Stamford Bridge (London).
Chelsea, after a sudden and forced change of ownership, lost their footing. Only Enzo Maresca, who replaced the disappointing Pochettino a year ago, managed to bring them back into the group of leaders. First and foremost, he lifted his team to 4th place in the Premier League. On top of that, living up to their status as favorites, they also triumphed in the Conference League. The bonus followed in the summer, when the English side went on to win the FIFA Club World Cup. But now expectations are higher, and with a renewed squad, Chelsea are required to achieve success of an even greater scale. Yes, there are high-profile and expensive newcomers, but sales were also necessary to meet Financial Fair Play requirements. The new season started with a goalless draw against Crystal Palace, and to make matters worse, it was Palace who had a goal disallowed! Against West Ham, however, almost everything clicked, as Chelsea dismantled their London rivals 5-1. Chelsea’s attacking performance against West Ham showed that their new signings are quickly adapting to Maresca’s system. Defensive stability remains a concern, but with their squad depth and quality, Chelsea are expected to consistently compete at the top this season.
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Fulham are steadily holding their place. The Cottagers, if you put aside occasional historical highs, were always something of an elevator club in English football. But Marco Silva changed that — not only by immediately winning promotion from the Championship, but also by establishing his team firmly in the middle of the Premier League table. They haven’t aimed for much more, and last season they finished 11th with 54 points. This time, without being particularly active in the transfer market, the Londoners began the campaign with a dramatic away draw at Brighton — Rodrigo Muniz came off the bench to score in added time. Then, hosting Manchester United, they repeated the scoreline, though on this occasion it was the Brazilian striker who scored an own goal. And this week, they also played in the League Cup against Bristol City, spending more energy before the derby. Fulham have shown resilience early in the season, with Muniz proving decisive in both positive and negative ways. However, their defense still looks shaky against top-six sides, and fatigue from midweek fixtures could play a role in this London clash.
Chelsea have won three of the last four meetings between the clubs. But in December, right at Stamford Bridge, Fulham managed to snatch a rare victory. The Blues are clearly stronger and will be playing at home. Under these conditions, they are simply obliged to win — we suggest backing Chelsea with a -1 handicap.
Prediction for the match: Chelsea to win with -1.0 handicap.
