Matchweek 1 of the Premier League concludes on Monday as Chelsea will make the short trip to face Fulham. Chelsea finished in 10th place last season, while the Cottagers finished in 11th.
Chelsea are -120 favorites on the moneyline for this one on DraftKings Sportsbook, with a draw available at +290. Fancy a Fulham upset? The home team are +300 to pick up three points.
Fulham vs. Chelsea Prediction, Pick
Chelsea will look to bounce back from a rocky 2025/26 campaign this season, and that journey starts on Monday at Craven Cottage. The Blues have a new manager in Xabi Alonso and will be able to focus their attention fully on the Premier League this campaign, given that they are not playing in any European competitions this season. This squad is full of talent, and I fully expect them to get back on track under Alonso.
Despite finishing 10th in the league last season, the Blues were still one of the best road teams in the division. They secured the fifth most points in the league on the road, compared to 13th at home. They didn’t get a win in this fixture last season, but they did win the home game against Fulham. The Blues have gotten the better of their west London rivals in three of the last five meetings between the sides.
The marquee signing of the summer for Chelsea was the addition of Morgan Rogers from Aston Villa for over 100 million pounds. Rogers is a left winger and recorded 10 goals and six assists a year ago for the Villans. They also made a big addition at the back, adding Maxence Lacroix to slot in at center back. I expect those two to start on Monday, and when you pair players like that up with the talent returning from last year, this team should be much improved.
The cherry on top is Xabi Alonso, who has experience winning a league title as a manager. He led Bayer Leverkusen to an unprecedented invincible Bundesliga win in the 2023/24 season. I don’t expect him to have results like that this year in a very competitive Premier League, but getting Chelsea back into the Champions League places in the table feels like it’s more than achievable. Who knows, maybe the Blues can find themselves in a title race. I think they will start the season off on the right foot with three points over Fulham.
