The West London derby takes centre stage at Craven Cottage on Wednesday evening as Chelsea make the shortest away trip of the season to face neighbours Fulham.
Both sides enter this SW6 showdown following dramatic last-minute equalisers in their respective weekend fixtures. Chelsea secured a creditable 1-1 draw at Manchester City, while Fulham played out a thrilling 2-2 stalemate with Liverpool. Interim boss Calum McFarlane will lead the Blues for the final time before newly appointed head coach Liam Rosenior officially takes the reins on Thursday.
Fulham, currently unbeaten in their last five league games, will be looking to capitalise on Chelsea’s period of transition. With both teams separated by just a few places in the mid-table, this derby represents a vital opportunity to secure local bragging rights and climb towards the European spots.
Fulham vs Chelsea – Match Preview and Team News
- Date: Wednesday, 7 January 2026
- Kick-off: 19:30 GMT
- Venue: Craven Cottage, London
- Referee: Peter Bankes
- VAR: Paul Tierney
- Last Meeting: Chelsea 2–0 Fulham, 30 August 2025
Team News
Fulham
Marco Silva is still without the injured trio of Josh King (knee), Kenny Tete (hamstring), and Rodrigo Muniz (thigh). However, Ryan Sessegnon has recovered from a hamstring problem and returns to the squad. The Cottagers remain depleted by AFCON duty, with Calvin Bassey, Alex Iwobi, and Samuel Chukwueze still representing Nigeria. Sander Berge is expected to return to the starting XI in place of captain Tom Cairney.
Chelsea
The visitors are bolstered by the return of Moises Caicedo, who has served his one-match suspension. Robert Sanchez, Marc Cucurella, and Wesley Fofana have all returned to training and could feature tonight. However, Levi Colwill (knee) and Romeo Lavia (thigh) remain out, while Mykhaylo Mudryk and Dario Essugo are also absent. Cole Palmer is “ready to go” after playing his first full 90 minutes since returning from injury at the Etihad.
Form
Fulham
Fulham have turned Craven Cottage into a difficult ground for visiting teams, remaining unbeaten in their last five league games. They have already won 17 points at home this season, including notable victories over Brentford and Sunderland. Notably, this match features a significant contrast in experience, as Fulham boast the oldest average starting XI in the league (28y 165d).
Chelsea
Chelsea have historically dominated this derby, winning 11 of their last 14 Premier League meetings with Fulham. They have lost only 8.1% of their total top-flight matches against their neighbours—the lowest percentage for any fixture with at least 20 meetings. However, the Blues have become stalemate specialists recently, recording five draws in their past eight Premier League outings. Enzo Fernandez is the man in form, having scored five open-play goals this season—the most of any midfielder in the league.
Predicted Lineups
Fulham predicted XI: Leno; Cuenca, Andersen, Diop; Castagne, Berge, Lukic, Robinson; Wilson, Kevin; Jimenez
Chelsea predicted XI: Jorgensen; James, Chalobah, Badiashile, Gusto; Caicedo, Fernandez; Estevao, Pedro, Neto; Delap
How to watch Fulham vs Chelsea?
The match will be broadcast live in the UK on Sky Sports Football and Sky Ultra HD. Coverage begins at 18:30 GMT ahead of the 19:30 kick-off.
Read more- Arteta hails Declan Rice as one of the best midfielders in the world
See Also- Farke hails Calvert-Lewin as one of the Premier League’s best strikers
