Fulham eye first league double over Chelsea as big-spending Blues target Europe

Fulham played Chelsea less than a month ago and claim a fine victory but a lot has changed at Stamford Bridge since then.

By the time the newly promoted side welcomed Graham Potter’s men to Craven Cottage, Chelsea had signed four players in January, including Joao Felix.

And they ended the window with a further four new additions, including £89million man Mykhailo Mudryk and British record transfer Enzo Fernandez.

Todd Boehly and co really didn’t mess around in January and smashed all previous winter transfer records, and now, the pressure is on Potter to get these players to gel and get results.

But Fulham will hope the former Brighton gaffer hasn’t had time to make the changes he desires as they pursue a first-ever league double over their west London rivals.

This is the 38th campaign in which these two have met in the league and Marco Silva’s men can make history at Stamford Bridge on Friday night, live on talkSPORT.

Fulham currently sit in seventh, two points ahead of Chelsea, so if they were to win, that gap would be extended to five and it would put Silva’s men up to sixth, just behind Tottenham.

However, a loss would see the Blues move into sixth and close the gap on the top four themselves.

Of course, it’s a massive game for both sides who haven’t given up on playing European football next season.

Fernandez will hope to be involved for Chelsea after flying into London on Wednesday while we should see Mudryk make his first start as well as a debut for Noni Madueke.

However, Chelsea have only won two of their last 11 league games and it’s not as if these new players are joining a team full of confidence in form.

Meanwhile, no team in the league has won as many matches as the Cottagers since the mid-season break.

And one of the main problems for Chelsea has been the sheer number of players used – 29 so far this term and that will only grow once Fernandez and Madueke, among others, are introduced.

Potter should be given time to turn things around in west London but he has to get a win on Friday, or the top four could be even further away by the time this gameweek is over with Newcastle and Manchester United playing West Ham and Crystal Palace.

The money has been splashed and now Potter has to form this bunch of talented players into a proper squad.