Chelsea vs Fulham
West London’s finest are still in the USA and Chelsea and Fulham are set to clash for a Club Friendly at the FedExField in Maryland on Sunday.
The Premier League clubs have been touring the States as part of their pre-season preparations and have both picked up a win in their two games so far. It’s all about gaining match fitness, working on formations, and integrating new players while putting on top drawer entertainment for the locals.
Both of these West London clubs are in a state of transition. Chelsea, with new manager Mauricio Pochettino at the helm, took 29 players on tour, and they need to trim their squad. But the Blues are still spending.
Meanwhile, SBOTOP partners, Fulham, are hoping to build on an impressive campaign last term, but there are changes at Craven Cottage too.
The local fans in Maryland won’t care too much about the off-field situations of Chelsea and Fulham. They just want to see some great football, and they won’t be disappointed.
Talking Points
Jackson’s good start for Chelsea
Many of the headlines over the past six months or so have been taken up by the record breaking transfer business at Chelsea, and by no means all the signings have come off. But there has been an encouraging start for a recent recruit.
The Blues have beaten Brighton 4-3 and drawn 1-1 with Newcastle during their tour, two good Club Friendly 2023 results, and striker Nicolas Jackson has scored in both games.
His £32 million switch from La Liga side Villarreal went under the radar a little, but Blues fans are already hoping they have found their new Didier Drogba.
After bagging against the Seagulls, Jackson broke the offside trap and finished coolly against Newcastle to earn Chelsea a draw. They could have won the game late on, but Ben Chilwell’s strike was well saved by England keeper Nick Pope.
In terms of other big transfers, Mason Mount has moved to Manchester United, and Chelsea are looking for midfield reinforcements and they are trying to bring Moises Caicedo from Brighton to the Bridge.
The Ecuador star was tracked by Arsenal last season, but now it seems Chelsea are determined to sign him and have already offered £80 million. Reports on the south coast suggest £100 million will do it, and it won’t surprise me if Chelsea hits that mark.
Silva pledges his future to Fulham
There is quite some uncertainty around Craven Cottage at the moment with star striker Aleksandar Mitrovic agitating for a move, but there is better news at the top of the club as manager Marco Silva has ended any speculation that he might have been on his way.
The highly-rated Portuguese coach has shown his loyalty to the club by snubbing an offer of £40 million for a two-year contract to manage Saudi Pro League club Al-Ahli.
His star striker Mitrovic seems keener to go to Saudi, and that’s a situation the club needs to resolve as it will become an unnecessary distraction if it rumbles on into the new season.
On the incoming side, Fulham are getting nearer to helping Chelsea with their over-supply of players as winger Callum Hudson-Odoi is closing in on a move to the Cottage. He would reunite with former Blues colleague Willian and is the right sort of profile for Silva’s attacking style of play.
Fulham are also close to signing Ajax’s 23-year-old Calvin Bassey to slot in as a left-footed centre-back. Silva will be looking closely at his defence as they have conceded four goals in two games, a 3-2 win over Brentford and a 2-0 defeat to Aston Villa.
Apart from Mitrovic, Fulham will be missing all action midfielder Joao Palhinha for this clash with Chelsea as he nurses a shoulder injury.
History
Chelsea have had the better of the head-to-heads with Fulham, winning 50 of the encounters, drawing 27, and losing 12 of their 89 meetings.
Last season, Fulham beat Chelsea 2-1 at the Cottage as Brazilian striker Carlos Vinicius scored the winner after Joao Felix had been sent off for the Blues. The return match at Stamford Bridge ended in a 0-0 draw.
The pre-season odds reckon Chelsea have a battle on to win a Champions League place next season, alongside Manchester United and Newcastle United; with Manchester City, Arsenal, and Liverpool backed to take the top three places.
It’s going to be a fascinating campaign, and Fulham will need to work hard to match their top 10 finish from the 2022/23 campaign.
Both coaches need to see some real quality on Sunday with the league season just two weeks away, and I expect a full-on 90 minutes. Chelsea should come out on top according to the Club Friendly 2023 betting odds.
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