Chelsea vs Fulham Bet Builder Tips: Palmer to score in 18/1 #PickYourPunt

There is a west London derby to watch out for in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon (12:30) as Chelsea entertain Fulham at Stamford Bridge. 

Chelsea were 2-0 winners when the two sides met earlier in the season at Craven Cottage, but Fulham have certainly improved since then. They were both involved in Carabao Cup semi-final first-leg action in midweek with Chelsea losing 1-0 at Middlesbrough, and Fulham getting beaten 2-1 at Liverpool despite going ahead in the match.

Derby matches always seem to bring another gear of intensity which we are likely to see here on Saturday, which bodes well for putting together a hopeful bet builder. We have therefore constructed an 18/1 #PickYourPunt together for you to consider ahead of this fixture.

Cole Palmer to score anytime

Chelsea have made a lot of signings in recent years and there are some who have flopped, those of which the jury is still out, but Cole Palmer has been a roaring success. The summer arrival from Manchester City has had an instant impact for the Blues with eight goals and four assists in his first 16 Premier League appearances for the club.

He is Chelsea's leading marksman in the league and his performances alongside the goals have been just as impressive. Palmer may have missed a glaring opportunity at Boro in the week, but given his form this year that can only be viewed as an anomaly. The attacker will look to find his shooting boots against Fulham on Saturday and we fancy him to play a starring role on derby day.

Joao Palhinha and Conor Gallagher to be carded

These two players are very important to their teams, not just for their technical qualities, but because of their tenacious attitudes as midfielders. Joao Palhinha is one of the best defensive midfielders in the division and it is no surprise that Bayern Munich tried to pinch him in the summer.

The Portuguese star has made the most tackles in the league this season with 84 thus far. He covers so much ground and is vital in the way that Marco Silva's side play. However, he doesn't win all his duels and he has a habit for going into the book. He has been carded eight times already which is the most in the division. We think that we will see him get a ninth on Saturday because a derby clash always takes the physicality up a notch.

Conor Gallagher is similar with his aggression. The Englishman has technical qualities in possession, but his work off the ball is just as important. He himself has made 52 tackles in the Premier League so far, but he does lead the charts for the most fouls with 47 committed already.

Bookings can be tough to call in football but these two offer great value because they are both very physical and there is no way they are going to dial it down against one of their oldest rivals.

Both teams to score

Chelsea may have won this game comfortably back in October, but the Cottagers will provide a more difficult challenge on this occasion. They have won five league matches since the defeat to the Blues, including back-to-back 5-0 victories over Nottingham Forest and West Ham United. They also defeated Arsenal 2-1 on New Year's Eve, which was an excellent result and performance.

The Blues have had some good performances this year but they have also had some bad ones. Consistency has been an issue and they weren't at the races at Middlesbrough on Tuesday night.

Fulham, however, did give Liverpool much to think about despite losing, just like they did in their 4-3 league defeat at Anfield back in December. While Chelsea's biggest goal threat is Palmer, Fulham have a handful of players who can chip in with former Blues' star Willian, Raul Jimenez and Bobby De Cordova-Reid.

The visitors will put up much more of a fight against their rivals this time around and they may even pull off another upset.

(Place an In-Play bet of £10 or more (at odds of 1/2 or greater) on any Premier League or Championship game on Saturday and get £5 in Free Bets to use on Sunday’s Premier League games.)