Fulham vs Chelsea LIVE: Premier League match stream, confirmed team news, lineups and fan reaction
Xabi Alonso and Alvaro Arbeloa will take tentative first steps into Premier League football this evening as Chelsea visit Fulham. It may prove a baptism of fire for one coach or the other, who both have a point to prove after enduring challenging spells with Real Madrid last season.
Alonso makes the short trip across west London shouldering rather more pressure than his opposite number as he looks to deliver on another summer of heavy investment which has seen his side prematurely tipped as potential title challengers. A number of competitive debuts are expected, then, with the likes of Morgan Rogers, Pep Chavarria and Marco Palestra all hoping to play their first minutes in Chelsea colours.
The expectations of Arbeloa’s Fulham are a bit lower, though it will be a tall order for the Spaniard to fill the shoes of Marco Silva. After an opening weekend full of upsets and surprises, he will be keen to add his name to the list with victory in the derby. Follow the match below with dedicated match blog, complete with expert insight and analysis from Dom Smith at Craven Cottage.
Fulham vs Chelsea latest news
Live updates
Pat Nevin: Alonso's first season will be a failure if he cannot get Chelsea into Champions League
Former Chelsea and Scotland winger Pat Nevin sets the bar high for Alonso.
“Attractive football and Champions League qualification are the targets for Xabi Alonso. There has been a bit of a disconnect with the fans lately, many of whom are frustrated with what’s happened over the last few years. With something like five managers in five years, I’ve lost count, the club needs stability so the fans can fall in love with it again.
“A lot of supporters are fed up, especially after the implosion at the end of last season. That simply isn’t acceptable for a fan base that has enjoyed such incredible success in recent times. So, a top-five finish is essential to get back into the Champions League.”
“My background is in economics and accounts, I studied it at degree level and even I struggle to work out how Chelsea are managing these finances!
What to make of the Fulham team
Arbeloa has made some big calls here, with his side unchanged from that which faced Stuttgart in their most recent friendly.
It is a youthful side, which also features Josh King and Oscar Bobb.
What to make of the Chelsea team
It appears to be a 3-4-3 for Chelsea here, with Reece James and Romeo Lavia comprising the midfield two.
That means Enzo Fernandez is on the bench, and Moises Caicedo is left out of the squad altogether. He is presumably injured, but we will bring you the facts as soon as we have them.
There are full debuts for Morgan Rogers and Maxence Lacroix.
Sanchez; Acheampong, Lacroix, Colwill; Gusto, James, Lavia, Hato; Palmer, Rogers; Joao Pedro
Penders, Chavarria, Barco, Enzo Fernandez, Estevao, Gittens, Neto, Quenda, Welbeck
Leno; Castagne, Bassey, Cuenca, Robinson; Berge, Iwobi, King; Bobb, Gonzalo, Palacios
Lecomte, Tete, Reed, Muniz, Kevin, Charles, Sessegnon, Smith Rowe, De Fougerolles
Chelsea predicted XI
Here’s how Dom Smith expects Chelsea to line up today. Not long till we get to see how accurate his predictions are.
Sanchez; James, Lacroix, Colwill, Hato; Fernandez, Caicedo; Neto, Palmer, Rogers; Joao Pedro
Team news up next
Tonight’s starting lineups are expected to be released at 6.45pm BST.
Dispatch from Stamford Bridge: Enzo Fernandez arrives
Much speculation surrounds Enzo Fernandez, but he has made the short trip across west London for tonight’s match.
Transfer catchup
We all know Fulham and Chelsea both have new gaffers in the dugout this season. But who are the new faces in the squads?
Here’s the full run-down...
Fulham ins: Garcia, Palacios (Both Real Madrid), Charles (Southampton), Kusi-Asare (Bayern Munich)
Fulham outs: Diop, Lukic (Both Ipswich), Wilson (Leeds)
Chelsea ins: Palestra (Atalanta), Emegha (Strasbourg), Quenda (Sporting CP), Rogers (Aston Villa), Lacroix (Crystal Palace), Welbeck (Brighton), Barco (Strasbourg), Henderson (Brentford), Chavarria (Rayo Vallecano), Satpayev (Kairat)
Chelsea outs: Cucurella (Real Madrid), George (Everton), Santos (Man Utd), Chalobah (Como)
Touching distance
Fulham and Chelsea are two of the closest rivals in the Premier League, geographically speaking.
The two clubs are just 2.5km apart - you can walk from one to the other in barely half an hour.
In fact, you can see the Stamford Bridge silhouette from Fulham’s new Riverside Stand!