PREVIEW: Fulham host Chelsea in the West London Derby | OneFootball

Fulham welcome Chelsea to Craven Cottage in the West London derby this evening, with both sides entering new beginnings on the managerial front.

In July, Fulham announced the appointment of Álvaro Arbeloa as the new head coach, taking over from Marco Silva, who spent five years at the club and is now at Benfica. Last season, Arbeloa took over Real Madrid from Xabi Alonso, whom he faces in the capital, but ultimately couldn’t salvage any silverware for the Spanish giants.

The Cottagers have had a busy summer, with 22-year-old striker Gonzalo Gonzalo García joining the club from Real Madrid for £34 million, along with Cesar Palacios, Shea Charles and Jonah Kusi-Aware. Significant outgoings include Saša Lukić and Issa Diop to recently promoted Ipswich Town, while Harry Wilson left on a free transfer to Leeds United and Raúl Jiménez returned to Wolverhampton in the Championship.

Ahead of the derby under the lights, the Fulham boss spoke to the media, saying, “I know how important that game is for our supporters.

“It’s also very important for everyone at the club, for us, for players, for me. It’s the first game of the season, the first game at Craven Cottage, so we are ready, we are excited, and of course we can’t wait for that game.”

As Fulham face a new era, Chelsea begin the season with a fresh start after appointing Alonso. He arrives with an array of experience and impressive achievements, particularly winning Bayer Leverkusen their first Bundesliga title with an invincible season back in 2023/24, as well as lifting the DFB-Pokal that same year. In fact, their only competitive loss that season came in the Europa League final when they were defeated 3-0 by Atalanta.

Despite a difficult period at Real Madrid last season, the new Chelsea manager has the experience that fans hope can get the Blues back towards the top end of the Premier League table, after missing out on a European spot on the last day of the season a few months ago. Chelsea’s intent is clear, having broken the British transfer record to sign Morgan Rogers from Aston Villa for £117 million.

Furthermore, a new transfer strategy has been implemented, with Xabi Alonso emphasising that the squad needed older players with experience, bringing in Jordan Henderson on a free transfer and Danny Welbeck from Brighton for an undisclosed fee.

In defence, they strengthened with French centre-back Maxence Lacroix for £52 million from Crystal Palace, and right-back Marco Palestra for £43 million, who has joined from Cagliari.

During pre-season, João Pedro has been in sharp form lately after missing out on a spot in the Brazil World Cup squad, consistently on the scoresheet and looking ready for a big season, having found the net seven times in the build-up to this campaign.

In his short time, Alonso has already shown his talent, stating in his pre-match press conference that his development is “very noticeable every day”.

Wesley Fofana will miss the London clash through suspension, while Jordan Henderson will miss out due to his wrist injury sustained at the World Cup, and forward Emmanuel Emegha has a hamstring strain – Danny Welbeck faces a late fitness test to make the squad.

For Fulham, Tom Cairney is out long-term while defender Joachim Anderson misses out through suspension.

The match will kick off on Monday, 24th August, at 8pm BST, and will be broadcast live on Sky Sports.