Fulham vs Chelsea Prediction: Cottagers to do the double over Blues

There's a west London derby taking place at Craven Cottage on Sunday (14:00) as Fulham host Chelsea in the Premier League. A victory for the Cottagers would close the gap on their neighbours to three points, while a win for the Blues would draw them level on points with fifth-placed Nottingham Forest, who aren't in action until Monday.

Below are my Fulham vs Chelsea predictions, supported by all the latest team news and match odds.

Team News

Harry Wilson (foot) is back in Fulham training and could make his return from injury on Sunday, but Reiss Nelson (hamstring) remains in the Cottagers' treatment room.

Marco Silva could make a few changes to the starting XI that lost 1-0 to AFC Bournemouth on Monday. Adama Traore, Raul Jimenez and Willian are among those vying for promotions from the bench.

Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca has confirmed that Romeo Lavia is in contention to feature in Sunday's west London derby. The Belgian midfielder hasn't featured since the Blues' 1-0 defeat at Arsenal on March 16, but he has now overcome the muscle injury that was troubling him.

Maresca made seven changes to his starting XI on Thursday for his side's Uefa Conference League quarter-final second leg against Legia Warsaw. Robert Sanchez, Levi Colwill, Malo Gusto, Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez are all set to return to the line-up at Craven Cottage.

Fulham vs Chelsea Odds

Fulham won the reverse fixture 2-1 on Boxing Day and are 7/4 to do the double over their rivals, implying a 36.4% probability. Chelsea, meanwhile, are 6/4, or a 40% chance, to win at Craven Cottage for the second season running.

The draw is priced at 13/5, both teams to score at 8/13, and over 2.5 total goals at 8/11.

Rodrigo Muniz was the hero at Stamford Bridge, coming off the bench to score the winner, and the Brazilian heads the anytime goalscorer market on Sunday at 13/8, followed by Jimenez and Cole Palmer (both 7/4).

Match Result - Fulham @ 7/4

Fulham have lost three of their last five Premier League games, but all of those defeats came away from home. At Craven Cottage, Silva's side have won three of their last four league matches, including their last two.

Chelsea, meanwhile, haven't won away from Stamford Bridge in the Premier League since December 8, losing five times (D3, L5). The Blues suffered four defeats in a row on their league travels before breaking out of that run at Brentford (0-0) on April 6.

Maresca's men are searching for a first league win since April 3, having followed up that goalless draw against the Bees with a 2-2 stalemate at home to Ipswich Town last Sunday. They may also be feeling the effects of Thursday night, despite making seven changes to the starting XI.

At 7/4, Fulham are well priced to chalk up a third successive top-flight victory on home soil and get their European charge back on track.

Player to Receive a Card - Sasa Lukic (FUL) @ 15/8

We're not getting huge odds here, admittedly, but given Sasa Lukic's track record of cards, this is a selection still worthy of consideration, in my opinion.

The Fulham midfielder was only booked three times in 24 Premier League appearances last season, but since the exit of Joao Palhinha to Bayern Munich, he has really been in the thick of the action for the Cottagers, picking up 12 yellows in 25 league outings.

Lukic has two in his last three games and was also booked in December's reverse fixture at Stamford Bridge, where he committed two fouls - the first on Nicolas Jackson, which brought about his booking, and the second on Palmer.

Offers

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