Fulham vs Chelsea prediction: Joao Pedro to inspire Blues in 12/1 Bet Builder
Enda McElhinney
Chelsea have won six of their last eight visits to Craven Cottage
Rival bosses Alvaro Arbeloa and Xabi Alonso take charge of their first Premier League games
Recommended bet: Chelsea to win, Joao Pedro anytime goalscorer & Morgan Rogers over 1.5 shots on target at 12/1 with LiveScore Bet
Monday Night Football comes from Craven Cottage as Chelsea make the short hop across west London to take on neighbours Fulham.
The Blues were defeated on their most recent visit to the banks of the Thames but, overall, this fixture leans heavily towards the side from Stamford Bridge.
New bosses Alvaro Arbeloa and Xabi Alonso are in Premier League dugouts for the first time, more than 15 years after their playing careers overlapped at Liverpool, where they played 46 top-flight games together.
The latest Fulham vs Chelsea odds are available on LiveScore Bet
Team news
Fulham start the season without Joachim Andersen, the centre-back serving a suspension for a red card on the final day of last term. Midfielder Tom Cairney sits this out after undergoing minor surgery.
Summer captures Cesar Palacios and Gonzalo Garcia were both signed from Arbeloa's former club Real Madrid in deals with a combined £43m and may make their debuts for the home side.
Like the hosts, Chelsea are without Wesley Fofana after a final-day indiscretion at Sunderland in May.
Big-money arrival Morgan Rogers is in line to debut, with Danny Welbeck expected to be named on the bench.
Midfielder Enzo Fernandez is being linked with both Real and Manchester City and it remains to be seen how Alonso chooses to deploy him before the transfer window closes.
The stats
Chelsea have triumphed in six of their last eight visits to Stamford Bridge, though they were beaten 2-1 here in January.
The Blues have not lost successive games here since 1979 and Fulham have won only four of their 38 Premier League games against Chelsea.
Fulham have won just one of their last six Premier League openers. Chelsea are without a win in three but have lost just three of their last 25 curtain-raisers.
Morgan Rogers has had 48 goal contributions in the Premier League and European competitions for Aston Villa across the past two seasons.
Last season Joao Pedro became the first Chelsea player since Diego Costa to score 20 goals without being the regular penalty taker.
Cole Palmer has had at least one shot on target in his last five league games against Fulham, while also landing three bookings.
The latest Fulham vs Chelsea odds are available on LiveScore Bet
Prediction
Nine new Premier League managers started out the new season and Spanish duo Arbeloa and Alonso are the last to take their bow in this west London derby.
Of course, the English top-flight is known to both from their playing days but this is brand new territory.
Arbeloa takes over a Fulham side that have punched above their weight in five years under Marco Silva.
They have bid farewell to Sasa Lukic, Harry Wilson and Raul Jimenez over the summer and it could be a tough season for the Cottagers, with young talents Cesar Palacios and Gonzalo Garcia having to acclimatise fast.
Chelsea were major underachievers last season and surely can only get better under Alonso. Things did not work for him at Real, but that is hardly a stick to beat any manager with.
At Bayer Leverkusen he was a major success and early murmurs coming out of Chelsea suggest the players have quickly taken to his methods.
Cole Palmer should benefit greatly from having Rogers alongside in the creative department and a refreshed Joao Pedro – omitted from the World Cup by Brazil – looks likely to be a major contributor this season. Chelsea can win this well, with Rogers and Pedro to the fore at Craven Cottage.
Score prediction: Fulham 0-3 Chelsea
