In their most recent meeting, Mauricio Pochettino’s side were held to a 1-1 draw by Newcastle United, while the Cottagers were defeated 2-0 by Aston Villa.
Chelsea’s new boys have stolen the show during the Blues’ US tour, as Nicolas Jackson continued his good start to life under Pochettino by scoring alongside Christopher Nkunku in a 4-3 victory over Brighton & Hove Albion on Wednesday.
The former Villarreal man took just 12 minutes to put Chelsea ahead in Atlanta, but with seconds remaining in the first half, Miguel Almiron pegged the Blues back and ensured Newcastle salvaged a point against their capital counterparts.
Pochettino has yet to lose a game since taking over at Chelsea, overseeing victories over Wrexham and Brighton before a reasonable draw against Champions League opposition, giving the Stamford Bridge faithful reason for confidence if pre-season exploits are any indication.
Fulham have already faced one of their London rivals, Brentford, in the ongoing Premier League Summer Series, winning 3-2 in their pre-season opener, but they were pulled back down to earth against Europa Conference League-bound Villa.
Taking on the team that earned the seventh and final continental qualification slot for the 2022–23 Premier League season, Marco Silva’s squad fell short in Orlando, as Jaden Philogene-Bidace and Villa new boy Moussa Diaby pushed the Lions to a 2-0 victory.
An 80-minute delay due to thunderstorms did not aid Villa or Fulham, whose head coach Silva criticised his side’s lack of playing staff following the game, as the Aleksandar Mitrovic saga threatens to derail the Cottagers’ preparations.
Amid reports that Mitrovic has vowed never to wear the Fulham shirt again, the Cottagers have dug into their monetary reserves to sign ex-Wolverhampton Wanderers man Raul Jimenez, who was unveiled on Orlando soil before Silva’s side were defeated by Villa.
Fulham is currently renewing hostilities with rivals in West London. Fulham had beaten the Blues 2-1 at Craven Cottage only six months before, when Willian returned to torment his former club, before Silva’s side also came away with a point at Stamford Bridge.
KICKOFF TIME: Chelsea versus Fulham match will go down on Sunday at 7:45PM Nigerian time.
