In their second London derby in the space of four day Chelsea take on Fulham at Stamford Bridge desperate to get their title challenge back on track.
The Blues were held in the North end of the capital by top four rivals Tottenham in what proved to be another hammer blow to their title hopes. Manager Andre Villas-Boas will be disappointed that his side failed to leave White Hart Lane with maximum points and he will be hammering home the importance of beating Fulham on Boxing Day. The Blues’ defensive problems took a turn for the worst on Thursday night with Branislav Ivanovic and Jon Obi Mikel hobbling off injured and with Alex out of contention and David Luiz injured Villas-Boas has a big decision to make. Thankfully his forward line is starting to gel nicely with Daniel Sturridge grabbing their equaliser to cap another bright performance. The Blues boss will be relying on the young England striker to ensure Chelsea end 2011 in a positive light against the Cottagers.
Martin Jol will be hoping his side’s confidence hasn’t been shattered following their 5-0 hammering at home to Manchester United on Wednesday. The Cottagers bore the brunt of a ruthless United performance and won’t welcome the trip to Stamford Bridge so soon after such a battering. Despite that result Jol can be happy with his side’s form in recent weeks with their exit from the Europa League proving to be a blessing in disguise. Without the extra stresses of European competition Fulham have been able to channel their focus on domestic football and with only two defeats in the last six they’ve pulled themselves away from the bottom three. Scoring goals still remains a minor problem although with player like Clint Dempsey and Bryan Ruiz coming into form they will push Chelsea right to the limit.
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Chelsea 4th : 33 points
Team news: Jon Obi Mikel and Branislav Ivanovic look like they’ll miss out on the visit of Fulham whilst Ramires is suspended after picking up his fifth booking of the season at Tottenham.
Key Player: Daniel Sturridge
He is the first name on Andre Villas-Boas’ team sheet these days and proved his importance by bagging the equaliser at White Hart Lane on Thurdsay. Sturridge has been in sparkling form during 2011 and will be hoping to hit new heights in 2012.
Fulham 13th : 18 points
Team news: Martin Jol has no new injury worries and is still without Mark Schwarzer, Simon Davies and Steven Sidwell who look likely to return in the New Year.
Key Player: Clint Dempsey
The American has enjoyed a splendid start to the season and will be looking to continue that against Chelsea on Boxing Day. His movement off the central striker is extremely dangerous and he will be Fulham’s main goal scoring threat at Stamford Bridge.
PREDICTION
Chelsea will be determined to bounce back from their draw at Tottenham by beating fellow London rivals Fulham. The Cottagers will be keen to pull themselves even further away from the drop zone but will likely see this game as one they just have to get through before the New Year.
