Inconsistent Fulham host struggling Chelsea in West London derby

West London rivals Fulham and Chelsea will wrap up Matchday 7 in the Premier League when they lock horns at Craven Cottage on Monday night.

The old foes are separated by three points in the table, with 11th-placed Fulham leading 14th-placed Chelsea, who find themselves just four points outside the relegation zone after six games.

Can Fulham pile more pressure on Mauricio Pochettino and his players? Or will the Blues rise to the occasion at the Cottage?

Fulham claimed a 2-1 victory over Norwich City in the EFL Cup on Wednesday, booking their place in the fourth round thanks to goals from Carlos Vinicius and Alex Iwobi.

As a result, the Cottagers are enjoying a three-game unbeaten streak, with a 1-0 win against Luton Town and a goalless draw against Crystal Palace preceding the midweek cup triumph.

When you look at the bigger picture, Marco Silva’s men have lost just one of their previous six matches across all competitions.

Having lost only one of their last six home games, Fulham will fancy their chances of heaping more misery on Chelsea, who are down in the dumps right now.

Chelsea picked up their first victory in almost a month as they claimed a 1-0 win against Brighton & Hove Albion in the EFL Cup on Wednesday.

Nicolas Jackson scored the only goal of the game on 50 minutes, although the Seagulls dominated with 61% possession and 13 shots.

Still, there is no hiding the fact that Chelsea have managed to win just one of their six league outings this term, recording two draws and three losses along the way.

Having won only four of their previous 25 Premier League encounters, the Blues will be desperate to turn the tide against their rivals on Monday.

Head-to-head: Fulham avoided defeat against Chelsea last season, winning 2-1 at home before drawing 0-0 in the reverse fixture at Stamford Bridge.

That said, the Cottagers have managed to win just one of their previous 22 Premier League meetings with the Blues.

Chelsea’s injury crisis means that Wesley Fofana, Christopher Nkunku, Romeo Lavia, Ben Chilwell and Reece James are sidelined. Plus, Nicolas Jackson and Malo Gusto are suspended.

Regardless of Fulham’s woeful record in this fixture, Chelsea are not expected to pick up their second league win of the season on Monday.