Chelsea vs Fulham Prediction and Betting Tips: Two selections for Saturday lunchtime fixture

Another difficult away trip looms for Fulham, whose next opponent is Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in Saturday's 12:30pm Premier League offering.

Tom Winch returns to cover the top-flight action with his two best bets.

Chelsea are the 4/6 favourites to claim all three points, relatively short given their inconsistencies, they’ve won just four times here in 23/24, and two of those sides currently sit in the relegation zone.

Only two sides have a worse away record than Fulham (9/2), they’ve picked up just six of their 24 points away from Craven Cottage.

Marco Silva’s men have won just a single game on their travels, that came on the opening day of the season.

All eyes are on Cole Palmer. The 21-year-old has started 12 games this season, and he’s registered two or more shots in 10 separate outings. Away matches at Newcastle and Man United are the only occasions where he failed to record two attempts.

Palmer has taken a staggering 17 shots in his previous four Premier League matches, he also managed four goal attempts in their defeat at Middlesbrough on Tuesday night.

Palmer has become an influential player for Chelsea and has looked like a real threat in recent weeks. His shot statistics are impressive and I’m confident that he can continue his tally this weekend, recording multiple attempts shouldn’t be a huge ask for the youngster.

Chelsea’s number 20 has committed a foul in nine of his 12 starts, including each of his last six. He made two fouls in the reverse fixture in early October which also saw him pick up a booking. He’s energetic and isn’t afraid to get himself stuck in, only Nicolas Jackson has more bookings for Chelsea this term. 

Chelsea have been awarded the most penalties this season with seven, four of those have arrived at Stamford Bridge. They’ve scored six of those seven which includes each of the previous six. 

No side has conceded more penalties than Fulham’s five this term, all five spot kicks they’ve given away have ended up in the back of the net. Chelsea have several tricky players in offensive areas that can cause the Fulham defence problems, and with VAR, there’s always a chance that a penalty can be awarded.

Anthony Taylor oversees this one. In his last 12 club matches that he’s officiated in all competitions, he’s awarded a penalty in seven separate matches with nine arriving in total.

This is a punt, but it’s a bet that certainly has a chance. Palmer, Mudryk, Sterling and Madueke all provide a threat, they’re quick, agile and skilful. Pochettino will demand a response from his players after their surprise loss in the EFL Cup, his side should have plenty of opportunities to attack from the flanks which will hopefully lead to a spot kick.