Chelsea - Fulham Preview: Mourinho's men target end to four-game winless run
Last season's Europa League winners have not won in any competition
since August 21 and will be looking to recover from their shock defeat
to Basel on Wednesday
And the match takes on extra significance for
the Europa League holders given their slow start to the season which
was capped on Wednesday with a shock 2-1 defeat at home to Basel in the
Champions League.
New signing Samuel Eto'o has failed to impress
in his first two matches for the club after joining from Anzhi
Makhachkala, while fellow striker Fernando Torres is still short of
form.
Chelsea defender Gary Cahill is aware that the club's record this term has been poor, but stopped short of calling it a crisis.
"It's
not a disaster but it's not ideal. A club like this wants to win the
majority of games it plays," Cahill told the club's official website.
"That's the expectation. It's a blow but it's not the be all and end all.
"We need to win our next game now, as simple as that. The manager will stress that."
Jose
Mourinho's unbeaten record in Premier League fixtures at Stamford
Bridge is a staggering 62 matches and although Chelsea's struggles will
give Fulham a boost, Jol's side are in poor form themselves.
After
a 1-0 triumph at Sunderland on the opening day, Fulham have failed to
win in the league, leaving them in 14th position in the table.
Fulham
looked set for all three points at Craven Cottage last Saturday against
struggling West Brom, but conceded in injury time, as Gareth McAuley's
header salvaged a point for the visitors in a 1-1 draw.
Dimitar
Berbatov has failed to score in his four Premier League fixtures this
season, while loan signing Darren Bent has started just once.
Bent
is likely to return from a hamstring injury for the match, while
Berbatov – who limped off against West Brom with a hamstring problem of
his own – is a doubt.
Attacker Bryan Ruiz (ankle) was also
substituted against West Brom and is likely to miss out, while
goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg (shoulder) and defenders Aaron Hughes
(thigh) and Matthew Briggs (hernia) will not feature.
Chelsea have a clean bill of health and will be hopeful of extending their 14-match unbeaten league run against Fulham.
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