ENGLISH PREMIER BETTING PREVIEW - FULHAM VS CHELSEA

English Premier

2026-08-24 - Fulham vs Chelsea

A Sports Betting Preview by Auls

Fulham v Chelsea
Football: English Premier League
Monday 24th August 2026 - Kick Off 8pm
This game is live on TV

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Fulham

It has long felt that behind the scenes, Marco Silva's ambitions were not really being met by a Fulham board that are simply happy with retaining Premier League status year after year. The former manager wanted to help Fulham push onto European Football, but four finishes between 10th and 13th in the Premier League table meant Marco Silva was always going to be enticed away.

He has left for Benfica to replace Jose Mourinho and Fulham appointed Alvaro Arbeloa who spent January to June as interim manager of Real Madrid. When Mourinho took over in the Spanish capital and Marco Silva left for his former job, Fulham appointed Arbeloa who has used his connections with his former club to sign two players from them.

Fulham had won 1 of the previous 6 Premier League games before concluding last season with a 2-0 win over Newcastle United at Craven Cottage. Home form will be key and only the top four clubs won more home games than Fulham last season and they open this season knowing they have won 3 of the last 4 Premier League games at Craven Cottage.

Joachim Andersen is suspended, while Tom Cairney is a doubt for the first West London derby of the season.

Chelsea

There will have been a school of thought that Chelsea would be better off without any European Football when they were struggling in the Premier League and that is ultimately what has happened. A new era is beginning at Stamford Bridge with Xabi Alonso appointed as manager and he could help Chelsea benefit as Manchester United did by having full weeks to prepare for fixtures while the main rivals are all having to play a lot more football.

The Blues lost the FA Cup Final to Manchester City and finished 10th in the Premier League standings, which means four full seasons under the current ownership have twice finished with 10th or lower placings. That is not good enough for Chelsea fans and the board have invested considerable money once again in this transfer window to help the new manager and the club get back on track.

Chelsea ended last season with 3 wins from the last 14 games in all competitions and they suffered 10 defeats in that run. They had won at Villa Park in February, but Chelsea followed up without a single win in 6 away games in all competitions in normal time and were beaten 4 times in that stretch.

Maxence Lacroix and Morgan Rogers are the standout names signed, but there have been some smart moves made around them. Both should be involved this Monday, but Wesley Fofana is suspended and Danny Welbeck is a doubt.

Head to Head

Both Premier League fixtures involving Fulham and Chelsea ended with home wins over the other.

Chelsea had won 6 of 7 visits to Craven Cottage, but could not overcome Marc Cucurella's early sending off when losing 2-1 in January.

Prediction

In what feels like a common theme up and down the Premier League, both Fulham and Chelsea are under new management going into the 2026/27 season and that does mean some uncertainty as to how they will perform.

Out of the two clubs, Chelsea's appointment of Xabi Alonso feels more productive than Fulham appointing Alvaro Arbeloa.

These two will be familiar with one another having both managed Real Madrid last season, but Alonso has experience of guiding Bayer Leverkusen to huge successes, while Arbeloa has limited coaching experience and now goes into a new League.

He did play here in his time with Liverpool when the two Spanish managers were team-mates, but friendship has to be put aside when taking charge of two West London rivals.

Xabi Alonso has been well backed in the transfer market and this Chelsea team looks like it is filled with real potential.

Goalkeeper remains a problematic area, but Chelsea have a fearsome looking front three in Morgan Rogers, Cole Palmer and Joao Pedro and they should hit the ground running.

It feels like it could take a bit longer for Fulham to settle, especially for the two new signings from Real Madrid. The club have lost some experience in Raul Jimenez and the quality of Harry Wilson and it is going to be tough for Fulham to match the 11 home Premier League wins earned last season.

Opening weekend fixtures can be very difficult to call as players are still building up match fitness, but Chelsea have enjoyed this West London derby and have won 6 of the last 8 at Craven Cottage. They did lose here last season, but were playing with ten men after just 22 minutes, but The Blues look like a team ripe for a big bounce back after last season and they can open with a victory after a tough battle.

The Pick :

Fulham 1-2 Chelsea

FIXED ODDS BETTING :

I'll back Chelsea to Win at 1.95 with Bet365 (early payout if a team is leading by two goals)