Wednesday Fulham Stuff(17/04/13)...

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham v Arsenal - Matchday strips

Arsenal will wear red shirts with white sleeves, white shorts and red socks against Fulham at Craven Cottage on Saturday, April 20.

Arsenal's goalkeeper will wear a yellow shirt, black shorts and yellow socks.

The referee will be Andre Marriner.


http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/fulham-v-arsenal-matchday-strips?

[WhiteJC]

 
ED MALYON'S SURE THING: FULHAM TO BREACH DODDERY PENSIONER'S DEFENCE



This evening's Premier League games all look pretty tasty, but the best on show this evening is surely the West London derby between Fulham and Chelsea at Craven Cottage.

Chelsea are 1.68 favourites to win on the banks of the Thames, with a win taking them back above Arsenal into third after the Gunners' failure to beat Everton in last night's stalemate.

Fulham are slap-bang in mid-table and have already reached the magical 40-point mark where relegation is no longer of concern. However, Europe has never really been in the picture for Martin Jol's side and it's a slow amble to the end of the season for them now.

Nonetheless, they will be highly motivated for this game with local bragging rights on the line and under the lights. Their home record is pretty good recently too, with three wins from the last four games in front of their own fans.

Interestingly, the Cottagers have only failed to score twice in the last twelve months at home, with those blanks coming against Manchester United and Tottenham.

Chelsea are undoubtedly of a similar calibre to those sides but their defence has been very questionable of late, particularly against Rubin Kazan where every cross appeared to have the back four panicking.

They haven't had a problem scoring goals, but two clean sheets in ten doesn't sound like a statistic you'd associate with Rafa Benitez's organised, balanced style and their defensive frailty could be exploited by the likes of Bryan Ruiz and – of course – Dimitar Berbatov, with both capable of the sublime despite their often 'relaxed' appearance.

Both teams to score at 1.75 has plenty of statistical support and is our bet of the day, although it's worth noting that the last five of these derbies have ended level and the draw is priced at 3.85.

Best Bet: Back both Fulham and Chelsea to score at 1.75


http://bet.unibet.com/football/premier-league/2013/04/17/ed-malyons-sure-thing-fulham-breach-doddery-pensioners-defence/32?

[WhiteJC]

 
Against All Odds: Fatigued Chelsea to flop at Fulham

It's the West London derby tonight as Fulham host Chelsea in the Premier League and Paul Robinson thinks that the away side are poor value at odds-on.

Fulham shrugged of their last gasp defeat at St James' Park by getting a hard fought point at Aston Villa on Saturday. That result means it's now just one defeat in seven for Martin Jol's side and they will be hopeful of extending that good record back on home soil.

Craven Cottage has been a tough place to go in recent years for opposition teams and although Fulham have fallen to a few defeats this season, they seem to have started to turn things around again. Victories over West Ham, Stoke and QPR have had the home fans singing again and as the only recent loss was a narrow 1-0 reverse to Manchester United, it can easily be forgiven.

Chelsea are in the midst of a huge fixture pile up as they have been playing two games a week for what seems like months. It's set to continue as while they were knocked out of the FA Cup on Sunday, they have league fixtures to catch up on, as well as European duties.

Rafa Benitez is a master of squad rotation but you can only spread yourself so thinly and the players are beginning to look a touch fatigued. Injuries to Ashley Cole and Gary Cahill haven't helped and club captain John Terry hasn't looked the same since his return.

The key to a good Chelsea performance is Juan Mata and to a lesser extent Eden Hazard. If they are on song then The Blues are sometimes irresistible, but it's not even guaranteed that both will start tonight and the Belgian in particular can blow a touch hot and cold.

Fulham will not only take confidence from the fact that Chelsea have picked up just one point from their last four league matches on the road, but they will also take heart from the knowledge that they haven't lost to Chelsea in 90 minutes in their last five meetings and they haven't lost at home to them since 2009.

The Blues are very short here at 1.77 for my money, and that's why I have to make them my lay of the day.

Recommended Bet
Lay Chelsea v Fulham @ 1.77


http://betting.betfair.com/football/daily-tipping/against-all-odds/against-all-odds-fatigued-chelsea-to-flop-at-fulham-170413-35.html?

[WhiteJC]

 
Premier League: Fulham v Chelsea match preview
A look ahead to this Wednesday's Premier League fixture at Craven Cottage

Having lost the FA Cup semi-final against Manchester City, the only potential silverware ahead of Rafa Benitez and Chelsea is the Europa League.

However, the Blues can ensure they qualify for next season's Champion's League if they hold onto their place in the top four, brushing off the advances of Tottenham Hotspur and Everton to take a safe spot. For Benitez, this means accruing points against Fulham and Liverpool away before focusing on the Europa semi-final against Basel next Thursday.

Martin Jol's Fulham, meanwhile, will be happy with their lot as they remain on course to achieve their pre-season aim of getting a top-half place. A win against Chelsea would be a bonus, but with Damien Duff struggling and Ashkan Dejagah and Mahamadou Diarra sidelined until the end of the season they may lack the strength in depth to keep up with Chelsea. Especially if leaders Lampard and Terry win reinstatement.



KICK-OFF: Wednesday, 8pm



PAST THREE MEETINGS...

Chelsea 0 Fulham 0, Premier League, November 2012

Fulham 1 (Dempsey) Chelsea 1 (Lampard), Premier League, April 2012

Chelsea 1 (Mata) Fulham 1 (Dempsey), Premier League, December 2011



STATS...

Fulham and Chelsea have drawn their last five matches.

Chelsea have not lost to Fulham in their last 14 matches in all competitions.

Fulham have seen opponents hit the woodwork more than any other team this season, with their frame rattling 18 times.

Fulham have benefited from five oppositions own goals in the league this season, a high shared with Manchester United.

Fulham did not have a single shot on target against Villa in their last outing.

Chelsea have won 14 points from their eight Premier League London derbies this season, losing only twice, and conceding eight goals in those eight games.



ODDS...

Fulham to win: 4.8

Chelsea to win: 1.85

Draw: 3.85



http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/premier-league-fulham-v-chelsea-match-preview-8577055.html