Chelsea make six changes for their west London derby against Fulham this evening.
In what will be Calum McFarlane’s final match in temporary charge before new head coach Liam Rosenior officially takes the reins, Robert Sanchez and Marc Cucurella start after injury as Moises Caicedo returns from suspension.
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Cucurella has been out with a hamstring injury and was not ready to return for Sunday’s 1-1 draw at Manchester City.
Sanchez was ruled out of that match due to a minor muscle injury, while Wesley Fofana woke up with a fever on the day of the game so also missed out.
But McFarlane said that all three players will be available if they make it through a final training session at Cobham on Tuesday afternoon unscathed.
Fofana is on the bench, with Tosin Adarabioyo replacing Benoit Badiashile in defence and Malo Gusto switching to right-back as Josh Acheampong drops out to facilitate Cucurella’s return.
Andrey Santos gets the nod alongside Caicedo in midfield with Reece James only on the bench, while Liam Delap is preferred to Joao Pedro up front.
Cole Palmer played his first full 90 minutes for club or country in three-and-a-half months at the Etihad Stadium and will be hoping to again get the whole game at Craven Cottage.
Chelsea cannot call on Levi Colwill, Dario Essugo or Romeo Lavia against Fulham as they continue to recover from longer-term injuries.
Chelsea XI: Sanchez, Gusto, Chalobah, Tosin, Cucurella, Caicedo, Santos, Fernandez, Palmer, Neto, Delap
Subs: Jorgensen, Acheampong, James, Fofana, Hato, Estevao, Garnacho, Gittens, Joao Pedro
Injured: Colwill, Essugo, Lavia
Time and date: 7:30pm GMT today, Wednesday January 7, 2026
Venue: Craven Cottage, London
How to watch: Sky Sports
