Friday

Barclays Premier League: Stamford Bridge/ Chelsea v Fulham soccer game preview

Chelsea Football Club is an English football club based in Fulham, London. Founded in 1905, they play in the English Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Fulham Football Club is a professional football club based in Fulham, London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, southwest London.



Jose looking for goals

Jose Mourinho and Chelsea's attentions return to the Barclays Premier League on Saturday after their midweek Swiss slip up. Mourinho puts his unbeaten run of 62 Premier League matches at Stamford Bridge on the line against west London neighbours Fulham in the week the Blues lost a home Champions League group game for the first time in nearly 10 years. Chelsea have also made their worst start to a Premier League season in a decade - winning only against Hull and Aston Villa, while drawing at Manchester United and losing at Everton - in an inauspicious opening to Mourinho's second spell as boss.



The solution for Mourinho is simple. "We need to score goals," Mourinho said following the Basle defeat, Chelsea's first in 29 group-stage matches at home. "When you don't score goals you are in trouble." Ramires is available following his European suspension as is fellow midfielder Michael Essien, who is not part of the European squad, but is available domestically. Mourinho is expected to rotate his options, with Fernando Torres in line for a recall up front. Fulham striker Dimitar Berbatov (hamstring) will have a fitness test. Forward Darren Bent (hamstring) is back in the squad, but Bryan Ruiz (ankle) will miss out. Defenders Aaron Hughes (thigh) and Matthew Briggs (hernia) are still sidelined along with first-choice goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg (shoulder). Boss Martin Jol knows better than to take the Blues lightly despite recent results.


He said: "I think if we beat them it will be the first time that they have lost three games in a week, so it puts a little bit more pressure on them. "However, I don't know if it is an advantage or not. "When they lost against Everton, it put pressure on them in the Champions League, so they had to win that game. "So to talk about must-win games, I think that for Chelsea this is a must-win game against us because they want to be champions in England."


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