After missing a chance to beat Tottenham at White Hart Lane, Chelsea have come under extreme pressure from their top 4 rivals Arsenal and Liverpool, meaning that a game against Fulham is a must-win clash for them.

The Cottagers, on the other hand, suffered an embarrassing 5:0 home defeat to Manchester United, so they, too, will have something to prove at Stamford Bridge.

Following the bright start to the season, Chelsea largely struggled during October and November, but Andre Villas-Boas’ side have shown a lot of improvement of late.

Their three-match winning run did end as the Blues failed to beat Wigan and Tottenham away from home, but they can certainly be satisfied with their performances in those games.

Having conceded a late equalizer at DW Stadium, Chelsea entered the Tottenham derby a bit low on confidence, but they, nonetheless, produced a very good performance and should have recorded a victory.

With their confidence back following the strong display at the Lane and struggling Fulham on the other side, Chelsea look like a good bet to beat Fulham at odds of 1.33 (1/3) offered by Ladbrokes.

Bane Ivanovic and John Obi Mikel were both substituted against Tottenham and are rated doubtful, whereas Ramires is suspended. The hosts are hoping to have David Luiz back from a knee injury.

Probable starting line-up (4-3-3): Cech – Bosingwa, Luiz, Terry, Cole – Lampard, Romeu, Meireles – Sturridge, Torres, Mata.

While Fulham have been far from impressive under Martin Jol, their solid showings at Craven Cottage and a good home record against Manchester United gave their fans something to hope for before the visit of Premier League champions.

However, the Cottagers were completely outclassed by their opponents and ended up losing the game 5:0, thus recording the third home defeat this season.

With Fulham traditionally struggling on the travels, the team could now enter the danger zone unless they improve on their home displays.

Nobody believes that Martin Jol’s side will be able to recover from such a disappointing result and produce a good performance at Stamford Bridge, especially as they won just one away game this season.

On top of that, the Cottagers scored just four goals in eight away games, which is why the odds of 1.83 (5/6) offered by Ladbrokes on Fulham not to score look too good to pass.

Steve Sidwell returns to the side after a hernia operation, and the good thing is that Martin Jol has no fresh injury worries.

Probable starting line-up (4-4-2): Stockdale – Baird, Hangeland, Senderos, Riise – Dempsey, Murphy, Etuhu, Ruiz – Johnson, Dembele.