English Premier League Week 12 Preview: Chelsea Look To Rebound Against Fulham In West London Derby
Champions Chelsea will look to get back to their winning ways on Wednesday when Fulham make the oh-so-short 1.8 mile trip to Stamford Bridge for this season's first look at a West London derby. Unless you spent the weekend totally lost in the landscape of English football, you'll realize Fulham are likely set for a long night at the Bridge as Chelsea will crave three points to quickly rebound from their emphatic loss on Sunday at the hands of a resurgent Liverpool.
Mark Hughes' men could only manage a 1-1 draw at home v Aston Villa on Saturday thanks in large part to a Brede Hangeland stoppage time header. The draw marked Fulham's 7th of the season while many fans begin to feel dissatisfied with their current 13th place position. At Fulham, Hughes has proved he's an organizer and just maybe a motivator, but until he can take the London club on a winning streak, one in which they jump into the top half of the table, question marks surrounding his overall quality as a winner will continue to linger.
Chelsea hope Michael Essien will be able to shake off a toe injury, the Ghanaian remains doubtful for the derby while the Blues will definitely still be without Frank Lampard in midfield. For Fulham, left back Carlos Salcido will be missing for several weeks after coming off on Saturday with an ankle injury.
Projected Lineup, Chelsea (4-3-3): Cech - Bosingwa, Terry, Alex, Cole - Essien, Mikel, Zhirkov - Anelka, Drogba, Malouda
Projected Lineup, Fulham (4-5-1): Schwarzer - Baird, Hangeland, Hughes, Kelly - Davis, Greening, Murphy, Gera, Dembele - Dempsey
Key Battle: Liverpool proved on Sunday that Chelsea can be got at and have a weakness in the form of their squad depth. Carlo Ancelotti elected to start Didier Drogba on the bench and due to injury elsewhere, was forced to give Ramires a start in midfield. While Drogba eventually came on for Salomon Kalou to an ineffective end, Ramires was largely disappointing over the course of the 90 minutes. Regardless of who Chelsea start in attack, they still should be able to score goals. While their first half attacking display v Liverpool was weak, it took a few brilliant saves by Liverpool keeper Pepa Reina to keep the sheet clean in the second half. The key battle here will be Fulham's ability to defend against Chelsea's efficient attack at home.
Battle Within the Battle: Can Didier Drogba return to form and lead Chelsea’s line? So much of Chelsea’s attack depends on the striker’s ability to score goals and create for those around him. Gone are the days of 6-0’s and thrashings handed out to the who’s who of the bottom half of the Premier League table. As Chelsea’s easy start to the season has ended, it seems as if Drogba’s sensational form has waned somewhat in the last month. Fulham will hope the waning continues in the form of a decent enough performance from center backs Hangeland and Hughes to the tune of a result on Wednesday.
Pick: While Fulham can be a tough side to break down and will show some creativity through Moussa Dembele and Clint Dempsey, Chelsea should easily rebound against a side they haven't lost to since 2006. Back home in front of the Stamford Bridge faithful, Chelsea win 3-1.
