New Chelsea head coach Liam Rosenior will watch on from the stands as the Blues make the short trip to face Fulham in a west London derby in the Premier League.
After masterminding an against-the-odds draw at the Etihad on Sunday, interim boss Calum McFarlane will once again step into the dugout at Craven Cottage as he looks to end his spell in charge of the side unbeaten. He will hand the first team over to newly appointed Rosenior on Thursday morning.
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Chelsea’s form has faltered of late amid their ongoing managerial turnover - they visit Fulham having won just one of their last eight League outings. Marco Silva, then, will know that another derby upset is well within reach.
Silva achieved this feat last season as his side pulled off a late turnaround at Stamford Bridge on Boxing Day, courtesy of Harry Wilson’s 82nd-minute equaliser and Rodrigo Muniz’s 95th-minute winner.
The Cottagers are in fine form, too, unbeaten in their last five League outings. They will be after revenge in this match, though, after falling to a controversial 2-0 defeat at Stamford Bridge earlier this season.
Date, kick-off time and venue
Fulham vs Chelsea is scheduled for a 7.30pm GMT kick-off today, Wednesday, January 7, 2026.
The match will take place at Craven Cottage.
Where to watch Fulham vs Chelsea
TV channel: In the UK, the game will be televised live on Sky Sports Football, with coverage starting at 6pm GMT ahead of a 7.30pm kick-off.
Live stream: Sky Sports subscribers can also catch the contest live online via the Sky Go app and website.
Live blog: You can follow all the action on matchday via Standard Sport’s live blog, with expert analysis from Dom Smith at the ground.
Fulham vs Chelsea team news
Chelsea have been handed a double boost as McFarlane confirmed both Robert Sanchez and Marc Cucurella will be available for selection.
Stalwart left-back Cucurella has been absent since Chelsea’s defeat by Aston Villa with a hamstring problem, while Sanchez missed the Man City draw with a minor, unspecified muscle injury.
Moises Caicedo is available for selection again having served a one-match suspension for accumulating too many yellow cards.
Wesley Fofana also missed out at the Etihad with a fever, and will be assessed ahead of the match.
Fulham, meanwhile, will be without the Nigerian trio of Alex Iwobi, Calvin Bassey, and Samuel Chukwueze as they continue their AFCON campaign. All three featured in their round of 16 rout of Mozambique on Monday night.
Silva cannot call upon Muniz as he recovers from a thigh injury, with the same true of Kenny Tete.
Ryan Sessegnon has returned to training after recovering from injury and is back in the squad.
Highly-rated youngster Josh King, who had what would have been his first senior goal dubiously ruled out when Fulham last faced Chelsea, is a doubt for the match with a knock to his knee.
Fulham vs Chelsea prediction
Chelsea remain something of an unknown quantity under McFarlane’s interim leadership, but the squad proved against City that they have not let their standards slip.
With incoming manager Rosenior watching on from the stands, those Blues on the pitch will be keen to impress and snap their winless run. With key players returning from injury and Fulham dealing with several absentees, the cards seem stacked in Chelsea’s favour.
While it is true that Fulham are in fine form, this revitalised Chelsea side will take some beating as they embark on a new era.
Chelsea to win, 2-0.
Head to head (h2h) history and results
Chelsea have come out on top in four of the last five editions of this west London derby, and won 2-0 at Stamford Bridge earlier this season after goals from Joao Pedro and Enzo Fernandez.
Fulham wins: 11
Chelsea wins: 54
Draws: 26
Fulham vs Chelsea match odds
Fulham to win: 23/10
Chelsea to win: 10/11
Draw: 21/10
Odds via Betfair (subject to change).
