Chelsea will host Fulham after both teams lost their EFL Cup semifinals this past week. The Blues will return to Stamford Bridge one day after losing to Middlesbrough 1-0 in a humiliating fashion, where they will confront the furious fans. Marco Silva’s club suffered a 2-1 loss to an incredible Liverpool comeback the day before.
Preview (Chelsea vs. Fulham)
Chelsea arrived at the Riverside during a period when the Boro team was beleaguered by injuries, ineligible players, and international call-ups. It seemed as though scoring four goals in a row against Preston North End in the FA Cup would be the ideal preamble for their trip to another Championship team, Middlesbrough. In the EFL Cup, the odds were heavily stacked against Michael Carrick’s team. However, on Tuesday night, the highly-regarded Hayden Hackney helped Middlesbrough to a thrilling victory. The former Manchester United midfielder unexpectedly triumphed against the West London giants.
It remains to be seen if Boro can strike twice at Stamford Bridge on January 23. Pochettino’s top goal right now is a third straight Premier League victory. Chelsea defeated Luton Town and Crystal Palace in back-to-back games, winning by a single goal each time. Chelsea turned around their Stamford Bridge fortunes to grab nine points from a possible nine on familiar ground in December. They won only three Premier League games at home from January 2023 to November 2023. However, not since July 2020 have they scored four consecutive top-flight victories at home.
The remainder of the first half saw the Cottagers dominate defensively. However, midway through the second half, a deflected strike by Curtis Jones gave Liverpool the equalizer. Substitutes Darwin Nunez and Cody Gakpo combined to give the latter the game-winning goal. Fulham will have at least 90 minutes at Craven Cottage on January 24 to turn the tie around. However, Silva’s primary goal for the time being is to put an end to the team’s dismal run of away performances.
Team News
This weekend, several injured Chelsea players will be watching from the sidelines. It includes Nicole Jackson, who is representing his country at the Africa Cup of Nations. Wesley Fofana, Marc Cucurella, Robert Sanchez, Trevoh Chalobah and Reece James are injured. The unfortunate Christopher Nkunku is also under suspicion after missing the match against Boro due to a new hip issue.
Oddly, Pochettino chose not to start Armando Broja at the forefront of the attack at the Riverside. The Argentine manager did, however, clarify that he intended to control the Albanian’s workload, so it wouldn’t be shocking if he were to return to the starting lineup in this match. While Adama Traore (thigh) is still out for Fulham, the experienced defender Tim Ream returned to the matchday squad for their semi-final matchup against Liverpool. Ream, 36, was just an unutilized substitute after recovering from a calf ailment.
Tom Cairney’s recall would not be shocking because Harrison Reed remained on the ground following his Wednesday night blow to the side at Anfield, and Silva also disclosed that the midfield player was not feeling well before kickoff.
Chelsea 2-1 Fulham
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