Fulham host Chelsea in a west London derby which could see the Cottagers move six points ahead of the Blues in the Premier League table.
Who thought we would be saying that at the start of the season?
STREAM LIVE FULHAM v CHELSEA
Marco Silva has done a marvellous job at Fulham and all of their summer additions have turned out to be excellent additions who perfectly compliment the talented squad who sauntered to promotion back to the Premier League at the first time of asking. Can new boys Fulham really challenge for European qualification? At this point, why not? The only disappointment for this game is that star striker Aleksandar Mitrovic is missing through suspension.
When it comes to Chelsea, it is pretty much the opposite feeling for Graham Potter and his downbeat Blues. They've won just one of their last eight games in all competitions and have been knocked out of the FA Cup and League Cup and sit in 10th place as they are 10 points outside of the top four. After all of the big spending from the new ownership group led by Todd Boehly, there is real pressure growing on Potter after just four months in the job.
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Here's everything you need for Fulham vs Chelsea.
Premier League news
How to watch Fulham vs Chelsea live, stream link and start time
Kick off: 3pm ET, Thursday
TV Channel: Peacock
Online: Stream via Peacock Premium
Key storylines
Fulham are flying high after three-straight wins over the festive period and there is a very impressive resilience about the squad Silva has created. Of course, Mitrovic is the main man up top and will be sorely missed in this clash, but they have so much quality in midfield and attacking areas with summer signings Joao Palhinha, Andreas Pereira and Willian making a big impact. Also, Bernd Leno has been excellent in goal. Most people expected Fulham to go down this season so they're now playing with house money and are full of confidence. Special things can happen when teams are in the kind of situation, and mood, the Cottagers find themselves in right now.
Chelsea are feeling the opposite of special. They have been hit hard by injuries, look lackluster in attack and questions are starting to fly when it comes to whether or not Graham Potter was the right hire. Todd Boehly has said he will give Potter plenty of time to sort things out but Chelsea's squad don't seem to be excited by the brand of football he is asking them to play. What is their philosophy? How will they hurt opponents? None of it is clear right now.
In-form players to keep an eye on
Mitrovic continues to score goals galore but he's missing this one through suspension so Carlos Vinicius is likely to start up top. Pereira, Palhinha and Willian are winning the ball back and will be aiming to get the ball to Vinicius in dangerous areas. USMNT duo Tim Ream and Antonee Robinson have been excellent all season long and Leno has provided some real confidence as Fulham have improved massively in defense.
Chelsea have no players in good form but youngster Carney Chukwuemeka did play extremely well when he came on against Manchester City.
Fulham team news, injuries, lineup options
Mitrovic is suspended due to yellow card accumulation so Vinicius should start up top. Shane Duffy and Neeskens Kebano remain out, while Manor Solomon made his long-awaited return from injury in the FA Cup win at Hull and having him around will be a big boost.
Chelsea team news, injuries, lineup options
Raheem Sterling and Christian Pulisic both joined Chelsea's growing injury list as N'Golo Kante, Reece James and Wesley Fofana are getting closer to returns. Ben Chilwell, Armando Broja, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Edouard Mendy remain out, while Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is battling through a back issue. At this point Graham Potter still has a lot of international players to choose from and he needs the likes of Jorginho, Mason Mount, Cesar Azpilicueta, Thiago Silva and Hakim Ziyech to stand tall.
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Fulham vs Chelsea: How to watch live, stream link, team news originally appeared on NBCSports.com
