Chelsea and Fulham continue their local rivalry on Boxing Day as both West London outfits look to continue what have been strong Premier League campaigns heading towards the halfway point.
Chelsea’s young, confident and well-manned side, set to break every record for EPL squad ages when 2024/25 is in the books, worked their way up the ranks after a slow start and now sit second behind leaders Liverpool.
Fulham, meanwhile, have flirted with the European spots at times with a strong first half of the season, and though they sit in ninth, a win on Thursday could lift them as high as fifth depending on other festive results.
And, of course, what better way for Marco Silva’s men to do so than by upsetting their neighbours in their own back yard?
Here’s a rundown of who’s in, who’s out and who’ll be spending Christmas anxiously awaiting a final medical report.
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Chelsea vs. Fulham lineups, predicted starting 11, team news
Enzo Maresca will have Marc Cucurella back for the derby, with the defender concluding his suspension for a red card.
And with the Spaniard having featured in every other EPL fixture before that for the Blues this season, he’s pretty much a lock to return to the starting XI immediately. Expect Malo Gusto to move back over to right-back and Axel Disasi dropping to the bench.
Romeo Lavia will probably need some more time before returning from his hamstring issue, while Reece James and Wesley Fofana remain on track to be back in contention in the New Year after similar injuries.
Benoit Badiashile and Omari Kellyman remain long-term absentees, and Mykhailo Mudryk will be suspended for the foreseeable future as the FA investigates an adverse finding in a routine drugs test.
Joao Felix is back and available but seems likely to feature from the bench.
Chelsea predicted lineup (4-2-3-1, right to left): Sanchez (GK) — Gusto, Adarabioyo, Colwill, Cucurella — Caicedo, Fernandez — Madueke, Palmer, Sancho — Jackson
Injured: Lavia, James, Fofana, Badiashile, Kellyman (all hamstring)
Suspended: None
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Kenny Tete and Harrison Reed will definitely miss the short trip to Stamford Bridge with their respective knee injuries set to keep them out for another month or two apiece. Reiss Nelson is looking at a similar timeframe to recover from his hamstring problem.
Silva confirmed after the 0-0 draw against Southampton that Sasa Lukic, Sander Berge and Emile Smith Rowe are unlikely to be fit for Chelsea. Lukic experienced a recurrence of the shoulder issue that kept him out for a while previously, and the head coach admitted Berge’s ankle tweak didn’t look promising.
Of the three, Smith Rowe has the best chance of recovering enough from his pulled leg muscle to be involved on Boxing Day, but remains 50/50 at best.
Fulham predicted lineup (4-2-3-1, right to left): Leno (GK) — Castagne, Diop, Bassey, Robinson — Pereira, Cairney — Wilson, Iwobi, Traore — Muniz
Injured: Tete, Reed (both knee), Nelson (hamstring), Lukic (shoulder), Berge (ankle), Smith-Rowe (leg)
Suspended: None
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Chelsea vs. Fulham live stream, TV channel
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