Fulham vs. Chelsea Bet Builder Tips: 16/1 punt looks tasty at Craven Cottage
Few would've predicted that in the new year, Fulham would be the premier West London club over rivals Chelsea when they face off. That is precisely what has happened however and while Marco Silva's men are flying, Graham Potter's reign at Stamford Bridge has begun disastrously.
The former Brighton boss looks out of his depth and desperately needs some points to appease fans who have been chanting for his predecessor in recent outings. We've analysed the markets for this game and provided a bet builder at a massive 16/1 with bet365 we think is worth backing...
Fulham vs. Chelsea Bet Builder Tips
The first selection jumped off the page to us and that was to back under 2.5 goals in this derby encounter. Chelsea are notoriously toothless and the addition of Joao Felix may help this, however we don't expect much from him in his first game in blue. Chelsea are ravaged by injury and have seen under 2.5 goals in seven of their last nine games, so at evens this bet looks a smart play to kick us off at Craven Cottage.
Further enhancing the generosity of this price is the fact Fulham will be missing talisman and main goal threat Mitrovic due to suspension. The Serb has been flying in the Premier League this time around and without him Fulham are undoubtedly a poorer side, but more than that they are much less of a threat in the 18 yard box. Having a 1-0 win for either side or the 1-1 draw onside at even money in a game that is massive for both sets of players and supporters looks the smart play in London.
Next up we are taking Azpilicueta to find his way into the referee's bad books to boost the price of our bet builder further. Over the years the Spaniard played alongside Willian for many years down Chelsea's right flank, with plenty of success, but now the old stagers will be facing off and we believe with Azpilicueta's fading capacity to play long minutes and Chelsea's massive injury list including Reece James the Spaniard could find himself overloaded against Willian and the overlapping Robinson. He could be tempted into a rash challenge or simply get his timings wrong and looks on the big side to be booked or worse with bet365.
David Coote is by no means a card happy official which goes against this punt, however with it being a derby game and tensions surely running high, plus Azpilicueta donning the captain's armband for The Blues and his potential to give some backchat we think this is a worthy second leg for this treble.
The final selection we have opted for is Mason Mount to have over 1.5 shots at The Cottage. Due to the paucity of alternatives as Chelsea's injury crisis worsens Mount is almost guaranteed to start as part of the front three and he should get plenty of shooting opportunities cutting in from the left. Mount has his detractors but as a boyhood Chelsea fan he will be bang up for this one against local rivals and would surely love to hit the back of the net in such a massive game.
Mount is averaging 1.6 shots per game for Chelsea this campaign, second behind only Kai Havertz. In many games he has been positioned deeper than he will be at Craven Cottage, so it is best to check his recent exploits and in his last two Premier League games he has let two shots fly against solid defences in Nottingham Forest and Arsenal.
These three picks give us a tasty looking bet builder at 16/1 and hopefully this can be the perfect winning start to a packed weekend of football in the bonus Premier League treat we have on Thursday night!
Did you know that bet365 pay your team out as a winner if they go 2 goals ahead at any time in the match (available on over 80 leagues and competitions, T&C's apply). Find out more on our bet365 offers page.
