Fulham club captain Tom Cairney to miss game with knee injury, Aleksandar Mitrovic may also be absent, Reece James may return but N'Golo Kante suspended; follow Fulham vs Chelsea on Sky Sports Premier League and Main Event from 5pm on Saturday; kick-off 5.30pm
Sunday 17 January 2021 09:41, UK
Team news and stats ahead of Fulham vs Chelsea in the Premier League on Saturday Night Football, live on Sky Sports; kick-off 5.30pm.
Fulham manager Scott Parker will be without club captain Tom Cairney for the visit of Chelsea to Craven Cottage on Saturday.
Cairney has an issue with his knee and could be joined on the sidelines by Aleksandar Mitrovic, who had a slight problem against QPR on Saturday but has since returned to training.
With the recent return of Kenny Tete, Terence Kongolo and Josh Onomah, Parker's injury list looks shorter than previously, although Mario Lemina is not expected to feature with an unknown problem.
Defenders Reece James and Andreas Christensen will be back in contention for Chelsea.
James is back in training after a thigh injury, while Christensen has shaken off a knee complaint.
N'Golo Kante is set to return to training after a hamstring problem but will still miss the Fulham match through suspension.
Fulham vs Chelsea will be broadcast live on Sky Sports Premier League and Main Event from 5pm on Saturday; kick-off at 5.30pm. Sky Sports customers can watch in-game clips in the live match blog on the Sky Sports website and app. Free highlights will also be published on the Sky Sports digital platforms and the Sky Sports Football YouTube channel shortly after the final whistle.
Call me a hipster if you dare, but I was raving about Fulham before all the cool kids jumped on the bandwagon after their 1-1 draw with Tottenham. But like with many mainstream opinions, Scott Parker's team are in danger of becoming slightly overhyped now. Yes, they were fluid and knocked the ball around nicely at Spurs but all the big chances were created by Jose Mourinho's team, racking up an xG figure of 2.58 to Fulham's 1.08.
Now, 6/1 on a home win here is a tempter as Chelsea's record away from Stamford Bridge under Frank Lampard remains woeful for a top-four challenger and taking on Chelsea has proven a profitable angle. However, it's really difficult to see how Fulham, who have only won two of their last 16 Premier League games, will stop Lampard's side down the flanks; an area where Tottenham absolutely battered them on Wednesday night.
Ben Chilwell, Reece James, a rejuvenated Callum Hudson-Odoi and Christian Pulisic are dynamite on the overload and possess the quality to seriously hurt Fulham. Whoever plays centre-forward for Chelsea should get chances to feast on.
JONES KNOWS PREDICTS: 0-2 (6/1 with Sky Bet)
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In a special Pitch to Post Preview Podcast we look ahead to Sunday's blockbuster between Liverpool and Man Utd at Anfield.
Sky Sports pundit Graeme Souness joins Peter Smith to discuss the big match, including why the hosts will be wary of their rivals and which players must stand up and deliver for their side.
We also get the latest team news and possible starting XIs from Sky Sports News reporters James Cooper and Vinny O'Connor, while football writer Lewis Jones - AKA Jones Knows - makes his Pitch for what will happen in the game.
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