Chelsea face off against their cross-town rivals Fulham in the early kickoff on Saturday, August 30, in the Premier League.
The Blues will be looking to continue their free-scoring ways after they came from behind to beat West Ham at the London Stadium 5-1 last Friday.
Meanwhile, the Cottagers will come into the game with some confidence after beating Bristol City 2-0 in the second round of the Carabao Cup on Wednesday.
They also secured a hard-fought point against Manchester United in their last Premier League game, and they will be keen to build on that against Enzo Maresca's team at the weekend.
While Chelsea go into the game as the big favourites, Fulham will be eager to give a good account of themselves against their nextdoor neighbours.
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Chelsea vs. Fulham lineups: Confirmed starting XI, team news, Cole Palmer injury latest
Maresca confirmed on Friday that talisman Cole Palmer, who missed the game against West Ham on Friday after aggravating a groin injury during the warm-up, will not feature against Fulham. He also said Romeo Lavia and Benoit Badiashile remain sidelined.
Meanwhile, Christopher Nkunku and Nicolas Jackson are set to miss the game against Marco Silva's team as they look set to move away from the club before the transfer deadline on September 1.
Apart from that, Maresca has a fully fit squad to choose from aside from Levi Colwill, who is set to miss the majority of the ongoing season with an ACL injury.
Blues skipper Reece James dropped to the bench against the Hammers and remains among the substitutes today. Meanwhile, Liam Delap continues at centre-forward in an unchanged line-up.
Chelsea starting XI (4-2-3-1, right to left): Sanchez (GK) — Gusto, Adarabioyo, Chalobah, Cucurella — Fernandez, Caicedo — Estevao, Joao Pedro, Neto — Delap
Injured: Colwill (ACL), Badiashile (knock), Lavia (muscular), Palmer (groin)
Suspended: Mudryk (doping violation)
Silva has a fully fit squad to choose from and similarly names the same XI that held Manchester United to a draw on Sunday. Harry Wilson is on the bench after shaking off a foot injury.
The Cottagers made a number of changes to their squad for the Carabao Cup encounter against Bristol City, so key players have had a rest. Bernd Leno returns in goal, while Joachim Andersen and Calvin Bassey are back in the defense after being rested in midweek.
Sasa Lukic and Sander Berge start in the middle of the park with Ryan Sessegnon, Josh King and Alex Iwobi behind centre-forwardf Rodrigo Muniz in attack.
Fulham starting XI (4-2-3-1, right to left): Leno (GK) — Castagne, Tete, Andersen, Bassey — Lukic, Berge — Sessegnon, King, Iwobi — Muniz
Injured: None
Suspended: None
Chelsea vs. Fulham match details
- Date: Saturday, August 30, 2025
- Kickoff time: 12.30 p.m. local time / 7:30 a.m. ET / 4:30 a.m. PT
- Location: Stamford Bridge, London (England)
- Competition: Premier League
- Referee: Rob Jones
- VAR: Michael Salisbury
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