On Monday, August 24, 2026, Fulham vs Chelsea predictions forecast the first Premier League game of the season at Craven Cottage. The matchup will be quite interesting. So will the first competitive games as managers for the two London sides. Álvaro Arbeloa and Xabi Alonso make their debut in managerial positions. Coming off a hectic summer in the transfer market, Chelsea will hope to begin Alonso’s era on a winning note.
Chelsea head to Craven Cottage as odds-on favorites at 17/20, backed by a British-record £117 million summer signing and a stronger overall squad. Expect Fulham to make it competitive at home, but Chelsea’s extra quality should be enough to edge a tight opener 2-1.
Fulham has a relatively healthy squad heading into Monday, with Tom Cairney the only injury absentee due to a knee problem. Joachim Andersen will also miss out, serving the final game of a three-match suspension.
Chelsea’s list is longer. Jordan Henderson, Aaron Anselmino, and Emmanuel Emegha are all sidelined through injury. Wesley Fofana is also suspended after being shown a red card in the final match of last season.
Fulham (4-2-3-1): GK: Bernd Leno DEF: Kenny Tete, Jorge Cuenca, Calvin Bassey, Antonee Robinson MID: Sander Berge, Alex Iwobi ATT: Emile Smith Rowe, Adama Traoré, Josh King, Gonzalo García
Chelsea (3-4-2-1): GK: Robert Sánchez DEF: Levi Colwill, Trevoh Chalobah, Reece James MID: Marco Palestra, Moisés Caicedo, Enzo Fernández, Marc Cucurella ATT: Cole Palmer, Morgan Rogers, João Pedro
Monday’s opener marks the competitive managerial debuts of both Arbeloa at Fulham and Alonso at Chelsea. Fulham parted ways with long-serving boss Marco Silva after five years, as he returned to Benfica. Arbeloa was handed a three-year contract despite just 28 senior games of managerial experience. Alonso takes over a Chelsea side seeking direction after finishing 10th last season. Chelsea was backed by a summer outlay that included Morgan Rogers, Maxence Lacroix, and £40 million defender Marco Palestra.
Alex Iwobi enters the season as Fulham’s most important creative outlet, contributing four goals and three assists last season. Iwobi’s form has kept big-money summer signing Shea Charles out of the starting picture. For Chelsea, João Pedro arrives full of confidence after scoring 15 goals last season and committing his long-term future to the club through 2032. Pedro backed up the self assurance with seven goals across preseason, including a brace against Real Sociedad.
Fulham won the most recent meeting between these two sides 2-1 at Craven Cottage in January 2026. Across the last five Premier League encounters, Chelsea has won twice, Fulham has won twice, and one has been drawn, with each of Fulham’s victories coming at home. Chelsea’s last away win in this exact fixture came in August 2025, a 2-0 victory at Stamford Bridge.
Both sides finished level on 52 points last season, with Chelsea 10th and Fulham 11th on goal difference alone. The closeness in the table, combined with two new managerial appointments, makes Monday’s result an early signal of which West London club has made the smarter summer moves.
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Kickoff is Monday, August 24 at 3:00 PM EST (8:00 PM GMT) at Craven Cottage, closing out the opening gameweek of the 2026-27 Premier League season.
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