Fulham and Chelsea have named their beginning groups as either side begin their Premier League campaigns at Craven Cottage on Monday.
Two Spanish head coaches have made their first-ever picks as bosses within the prime flight, beginning with Cottagers supervisor Alvaro Arbeloa, who led Actual Madrid final season.
Arbeloa took over after new Blues supremo Xabi Alonso’s temporary spell answerable for Madrid led to January.
Arbeloa’s predecessor, Marco Silva, guided the hosts to eleventh within the prime flight in 2025/26, matching Chelsea’s complete of 52 factors however ending behind their neighbours on aim distinction.
It is calm now, but it surely will not be later. 🏠 pic.twitter.com/UyZyMcyXhv
— Fulham Soccer Membership (@FulhamFC) August 24, 2026
Fulham confirmed beginning group vs Chelsea
Two of Fulham’s new signings begin, with Cesar Palacios in midfield and Gonzalo Garcia in assault.
Midfielder Shea Charles, who signed for £30 million from Southampton earlier this month, is on the bench.
Fulham beginning XI: Bernd Leno, Timothy Castagne, Calvin Bassey, Jorge Cuenca, Antonee Robinson, Sander Berge, Alex Iwobi, Josh King, Oscar Bobb, Gonzalo Garcia, Ezequiel Palacios
Fulham substitutes: Benjamin Lecomte, Kenny Tete, Harrison Reed, Rodrigo Muniz, Kevin, Shea Charles, Ryan Sessegnon, Emile Smith Rowe, Luc de Fougerolles
Chelsea full line up vs Fulham
Midfielder Morgan Rogers and defender Maxence Lacroix make their aggressive debuts for Chelsea.
Fellow newcomers Mike Penders, Pep Chavarria, Valentin Barco, Geovany Quenda and Danny Welbeck are on the bench, as is Enzo Fernandez, who’s being closely linked with a transfer to Manchester Metropolis earlier than the switch window shuts on September 1.
Chelsea beginning XI: Robert Sanchez, Josh Acheampong, Maxence Lacroix, Levi Colwill, Malo Gusto, Reece James, Romeo Lavia, Jorrel Hato, Cole Palmer, Morgan Rogers, Joao Pedro
Chelsea substitutes: Mike Penders, Pep Chavarria, Valentin Barco, Enzo Fernandez, Estevao, Jamie Gittens, Pedro Neto, Geovany Quenda, Danny Welbeck
The place to look at Fulham vs Chelsea: TV and on-line streams
Kick-off on Monday is at 20:00 BST (15:00 ET / 12:00 PT), with stay protection within the UK on Sky Sports activities Most important Occasion, Sky Sports activities Premier League and Sky Sports activities Extremely.
Through Now TV, Sky Sports activities prices £14.99 for a day membership, £27.99 a month for a 12-month membership or £34.99 a month with no contract.
Fulham vs Chelsea stats
- Fulham will start a Premier League season with a London derby for a fourth time, having misplaced the earlier three: 2-1 Arsenal in 2007/08, 2-0 at residence to Crystal Palace in 2018/19 and 3-0 at residence to Arsenal in 2020/21
- They’ve gained their opener in one among their final six Premier League seasons (D2 L3), beating Everton away in 2023/24
- In 2026, solely Manchester United (8) have gained extra Premier League residence video games than Fulham (6), with the Cottagers victorious in six of their final 9 at Craven Cottage (L3)
- This shall be each Arbeloa and Alonso’s first Premier League match as managers. The pair performed 46 league video games alongside each other for Liverpool from 2007 to 2009, shedding 4 of these (W28 D14)
- That makes this the primary time any supervisor’s first Premier League sport has come in opposition to one other supervisor he was a teammate of as a participant within the competitors
- Chelsea have been crushed of their most up-to-date assembly with Fulham (2-1 away in January within the Premier League) however haven’t misplaced consecutive video games in opposition to them throughout all competitions since a run of three between April 1977 and October 1979
- The Blues have did not win their opening league sport in every of the final three seasons (D2 L1), final going 4 in a row with no win between 1995/96 and 1998/99
- For the reason that begin of March, Chelsea have the fewest factors of any facet to not be relegated from the Premier League final season (7). They’ve misplaced eight of 11 league video games on this interval (W2 D1), which is essentially the most of any top-flight membership
- Alonso is ready to be the twenty seventh supervisor to take cost of no less than one Premier League sport with Chelsea, overtaking Tottenham Hotspur (26) as essentially the most by any facet (counting joint-managers as one)
- Two of Chelsea’s final eight managers have gained their first league sport in cost (D4 L2), though each have been in London derbies: Graham Potter vs Crystal Palace in October 2022 and Liam Rosenior vs Brentford in January 2026
- Welbeck is ready to characteristic in his nineteenth Premier League season, taking part in no less than as soon as in each marketing campaign since and together with 2008/09. This would be the joint-most seasons performed in by any striker within the competitors’s historical past, equalling Jermain Defoe (19) and overtaking Peter Crouch (18)
- These managers would be the tenth and eleventh to take cost of a particular Premier League facet for the primary time this weekend, which is the outright most on matchday in a single marketing campaign (excluding 1992/93) within the competitors’s historical past (beforehand 9, in 2012/13 and 2016/17)
