The 2026/27 Premier League season concludes its opening round with an intriguing West London derby as Fulham host Chelsea on Monday night.
The fixture represents a fresh start for both clubs as Fulham begin life under new head coach Álvaro Arbeloa following Marco Silva’s departure, while Chelsea’s much-anticipated Xabi Alonso era gets its first competitive test.
Chelsea enter the contest as favourites, but this is exactly the type of fixture that can cause problems for a big-six side on the opening weekend.
Fulham have home advantage and will be confident they can get a positive result after beating Chelsea 2-1 back in January.
Chelsea have spent heavily again during the summer and are attempting to turn their considerable investment into a genuine challenge near the top of the Premier League.
This London derby promises to be a thrilling encounter as both teams test their strengths to set the tone for the new season.
Can the Blues get their revenge against their London rivals, or will Fulham make it back-to-back wins against Chelsea? Here is our predicted outcome for the match.
What time does Fulham vs Chelsea start?
The match kicks off at 10PM E.A.T at Craven Cottage
Fulham vs Chelsea team news
Tom Cairney is among the players unavailable for the opening fixture, he joins Joachim Andersen on the sidelines. The latter is carrying a suspension from last season.
They are likely to rely more heavily on Sander Berge and Alex Iwobi to control proceedings in midfield.
Gonzalo Garcia was Fulham’s most expensive summer recruit and all six of his league goals last term came in home games – he will lead the attacking line.
Meanwhile, Chelsea were boosted by Joao Pedro signing a contract extension that will keep him at the club until 2033. The Brazilian scored 20 goals in all competitions last season and will start up front.
New signing Morgan Rogers is likely to get his first PL start here, alongside Cole Palmer and Enzo Fernandez in the middle of the pack.
Captain Reece James, Levi Colwill and another new face in Maxence Lacroix will form a back-three for Xabi Alonso’s side.
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Fulham vs Chelsea head-to-head and current form
The home team have lost just once in their last five matches, a 2-1 defeat to Crystal Palace in a pre-season friendly. They have won and drawn two games in that run.
Chelsea on the other hand, have lost twice in their last five outings but bring a three-match unbeaten run into this fixture. Their last game ended in a convincing 3-1 win against Real Sociedad.
The Blues have a slight advantage in recent games, beating Fulham three times in the last five head-to-head encounters.
Current form:
Fulham – WDLWD
Chelsea – WDWLL
Fulham vs Chelsea previous games
- Fulham 2-1 Chelsea (January 7, 2026)
- Chelsea 2-0 Fulham (August 30, 2025)
- Fulham 1-2 Chelsea (April 20, 2025)
- Chelsea 1-2 Fulham (December 26, 2024)
- Chelsea 1-0 Fulham (January 13, 2024)
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Fulham vs Chelsea prediction
Despite having home advantage, this London derby can prove a difficult task for Fulham to ease through. Both sides have attackers raring to go and this can guarantee a goal at least for each team.
Chelsea are the better team on paper and could sneak a narrow win to get their season off to a winning start.
Prediction – Both teams to score – PLACE YOUR BET ON THIS GAME HERE!
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