STAR FOOTBALL PREVIEW Mon: Fulham v Chelsea

Fulham and Chelsea open their Premier League campaign with a west London derby under the Monday Night Football lights, as two sides under brand-new management look to make a first impression, writes JOE CITRONE.

Alvaro Arbeloa takes his first game in senior English football management after replacing Marco Silva, who left Craven Cottage at the end of last season following five years in charge. The Spaniard’s task is complicated by the loss of talisman Harry Wilson to Leeds, though the arrivals of Real Madrid duo Gonzalo García and Cesar Palacios give Fulham fresh legs up top.

Fulham v Chelsea
Premier League
20:00 Sky Sports

LAST FIVE STATS

HEAD-TO-HEAD
JAN 2026 PREMIER LEAGUE Fulham 2-1 Chelsea
AUG 2025 PREMIER LEAGUE Chelsea 2-0 Fulham
APR 2025 PREMIER LEAGUE Fulham 1-2 Chelsea
DEC 2024 PREMIER LEAGUE Chelsea 1-2 Fulham
JAN 2024 PREMIER LEAGUE Chelsea 1-0 Fulham

FULHAM
AUG 2026 FRIENDLY Fulham 1-0 VfB Stuttgart
AUG 2026 FRIENDLY Malaga 2-2 Fulham
AUG 2026 FRIENDLY Fulham 1-2 Crystal Palace
AUG 2026 FRIENDLY Farense 1-2 Fulham
JUL 2026 FRIENDLY Al Ahli 1-1 Fulham

CHELSEA
AUG 2026 FRIENDLY Chelsea 3-1 Real Sociedad
AUG 2026 FRIENDLY Johor Darul Ta’zim 3-3 Chelsea
AUG 2026 FRIENDLY Chelsea 3-0 AC Milan
AUG 2026 FRIENDLY Chelsea 0-1 Juventus
AUG 2026 FRIENDLY Chelsea 1-2 Tottenham Hotspur

⭐️ STARSPORTS.BET MATCH MARKETS ⭐️

Across the way, it’s the first competitive outing for Xabi Alonso at Chelsea, who has wasted no time making his mark in the transfer market. A British-record £117m deal for Morgan Rogers headlines a busy summer, though question marks remain over a defence that shipped goals throughout a mixed pre-season tour of Asia.

Fulham head into this one full of confidence at Craven Cottage, having won the reverse fixture 2-1 back in January thanks to Raul Jimenez and the now-departed Wilson, with Marc Cucurella’s red card compounding Chelsea’s misery that night.

Fulham have never been shy of a result against this Chelsea side of late – two wins from the last three meetings – but I just feel Chelsea will be desperate to start the Alonso era in strong fashion and that’s why I am backing the Blues to win here at 4/5 with starsports.bet.

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