West London Derby: Fulham VS Chelsea preview
West Londoners are already counting down the days. On the 7th of January, Fulham and Chelsea will face off in the battle for the West. Whoever wins gains bragging rights, at least until the next game between the two.
With the electric atmosphere at Craven Cottage already heating up for the heartfelt derby, fans are looking at every detail to prepare themselves as best they can, trying to find some confirmation for their hopes.
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A fiery rivalry
This rivalry between westerners began in 1949. That year, the two sides met in the First Division (the Premier League was still pretty far away) for the first time, in a game finished 1-1. In 1952 Fulham was relegated and that gave way to a long rivalry, often interrupted by Fulham’s (and on one occasion Chelsea’s) relegation. From 1968 onwards we had a 35-years-long hiatus, because the Cottagers came back in the EPL only in 2002.
When Fulham played in the new Stamford Bridge, it found itself in a stadium very different from the one where they entered in 1985, the last time a tie between the two teams, with the Blues hosting, was scheduled. Chelsea was already a major player in the EPL. Fulham, however, was in the middle of an amazing season, led by players like Louis Saha; Andy Melville; Luis Boa Morte; Steve Finnan and Edwin van der Sar. The Blues could count on Claudio Ranieri’s savvy and a roster full of accomplished players: William Gallas; Marcel Desailly; Emmanuel Petit and Gianfranco Zola. There were also some club legends like Frank Lampard, Carlo Cudicini and Eidur Gudjohnsen taking part in that historical clash.
The game was played in front of 40.000 enthusiasts. The word is right because the thrilling contest, finished with a Blues win (3-2) was well fought on both sides. So much that a lot of fans considered the fact that there weren’t more of them, in the previous years, a true pity. The rivalry was renewed and, even if Chelsea is usually the dominant force, Fulham always plays its best in this heated matchup.
In what kind of shape are the two teams?
While we write, between Fulham and Chelsea there are 6 points. It means that they are not that far away. The table is short, though, so the Blues are in position to play the next Champions League and the Cottagers sit in the middle, on the right part of the table, closer to relegation than to the title.
Fulham pays its discontinuity. The team wins some, then loses some. Then wins again. Then loses another time. It’s difficult to stay competitive when you can’t find any rhythm. Enzo Maresca’s team has more talent and stays alive in England as well as in Europe. They are the favourite in this game. The head-to-head record favours the Blues, winners of 53 of the 92 matches the teams played against each other in every competition.
In the recent Premier League era, Chelsea won 22 times, in 36 total match-ups. There were 11 draws, so Fulham only won 3 times. However, 2 of these wins were quite recent. Perhaps, we are at a turning point in this rivalry.
Who are the top scorers in this match-up?
As far as scoring goes, Frank Lampard is the top scorer in the Chelsea-Fulham match-up. His 8 goals double the closest total (4), splitted between Clint Dempsey of Fulham and Didier Drogba of Chelsea. Two other Blues, Eidur Gudjohnsen and André Schürrle, scored 3 times in the history of the West London derby.
