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Fulham v CHELSEA: Preview

Venue: Craven Cottage
Date: Saturday, 1 March
Kick-off: 15.00 GMT

The kits are barely washed and dried from our trip to Istanbul midweek and we’re back on our travels already. Ok, so it’s only a stroll down the road to Craven Cottage this time but the players have hardly had time to rub the Deep Heat in and their weary legs are back on the pitch for 3pm this afternoon.
It may well be top against bottom but the Clampets next door probably won’t get a better opportunity against us than when we’re tired from our European travels. Not that our lack of strikers (ssshhhh don’t let the press hear that) is excuse enough against a defence with more holes in it than a tramps vest but our lack of a proper breather between games probably won’t do us any favours.

MANAGER’S VIEWS
New Fulham manager Felix Magath is the happier of the two bosses going into this afternoon’s game, saying “It’s an advantage for sure, we are lucky Chelsea had such a long trip and played on Wednesday, it’s a good situation for us. Travel bothers the players, it is a chance for us but Chelsea are the favourites.”
Having said his piece on the lack of time between games, Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho focuses on his opposition for the afternoon, saying of Magath “I don’t know his training methods. I just know his CV – and his CV is one of the best CVs of the 20 managers we have in the Premier League. So i try to be pragmatic and read the CV. The CV is very clear. He has a CV, he has a reputation and he has a past – and I respect that.”

SQUAD NEWS
For Fulham, Darren Bent is available again and with no injuries to contend with, Magath may stick with the team that managed a point at West Brom.
For Chelsea, van Ginkel remains a long term absentee and David Luiz is still carrying a muscle injury. With Cahill and JT both injured in recent weeks as well though, Jose might give one of them a rest.

TEAMS
FULHAM (Possible line-up): Stockdale, Riether, Heitinga, Burn, Riise, Tunnicliffe, Sidwell, Kvist, Richardson, Bent, Mitroglou
CHELSEA (Possible line-up): Cech, Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry, Azpilicueta, Ramires, Luiz, Hazard, Oscar, Willian, Torres

LAST MEETING
Chelsea 2-0 Fulham (21st September 2013)

PREDICTION
We havent lost to Fulham in 16 meetings and they’ve failed to score in the last 3 of them. But whilst their last 19 games has seen them on the wrong end of 14 defeats, they’ve drawn the last two and might well be going for a hattrick as a minimum today.

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