José Mourinho's Chelsea homecoming hasn't gone quite according to plan, with the returning manager having not witnessed his team pick up a competitive win in a month. The latest setback was a shock defeat to Basel in their opening Champions League group stage game, on the back of a loss to Everton in the league.
Chelsea vs. Fulham: Preview and TV schedule
Neither Chelsea or Fulham have been convincing in their starts to the season, and meet at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.
Ian Walton
More from our team blogs: Chelsea blog We Ain't Got No History Fulham blog Cottagers Confidential
They'll look to bounce back with a win against Fulham this weekend, with their West London rivals having also failed convinced so far. Martin Jol's side haven't won since a narrow victory over Sunderland in their opening game of the season, and are languishing just a point above the relegation places for now.
Their task of taking points away at Stamford Bridge is made even harder by Chelsea's lack of injury concerns. In contrast, Jol will definitely have to do without Maarten Stekelenburg, Bryan Ruiz, Matthew Briggs and Aaron Hughes, though Dimitar Berbatov is expected to be fit enough to make Fulham's starting XI.
Chelsea Injuries and suspensions
Out: None. In doubt: None.
Fulham injuries and suspensions
Out: Maarten Stekelenburg (shoulder), Bryan Ruiz (ankle), Matthew Briggs (hernia), Aaron Hughes. In doubt: Dimitar Berbatov (hamstring).
Projected lineups
Chelsea: Petr Čech; Ashley Cole, John Terry, David Luiz, Branislav Ivanović; Ramires, Frank Lampard; Eden Hazard, Oscar, Kevin De Bruyne; Samuel Eto'o
Fulham: David Stockdale; Kieran Richardson, Philippe Senderos, Brede Hangeland, Sascha Riether; Alexander Kačaniklić, Scott Parker, Steve Sidwell, Damien Duff; Pajtim Kasami; Dimitar Berbatov
Match Date/Time: Saturday, 5:30 p.m. local, 12:30 p.m. ET
Venue: Stamford Bridge, London, England
TV: NBC Sports Network, DirecTV, Mun2 (U.S.), TSN2 (Canada), Sky Sports 1/HD (U.K.)
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