Chelsea vs Fulham: Five Key Battles

On Saturday, Chelsea take on Fulham in a local derby. Both teams need the three points and their reasons for needing them are similar in certain ways yet very different in others.

Chelsea are coming off a massive summer spending spree that includes the return of Jose Mourinho. Yet things haven’t gone to the plan so far. The Blues have registered back-to-back losses against Everton (Premier League) and FC Basel (Champions League) and will be desperately looking for a win to get back some much-needed momentum.

Fulham have a new owner in Shahid Khan and have brought in a few new players but results have been mixed so far. A win against their local rivals will provide the players and fans with a bit of a boost and will also help the team form some camaraderie.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at five battles that will influence the result of the game:

Scott Parker vs Oscar

Scott Parker of Fulham

As the defensive midfielder, Scott Parker will have the unenviable job of keeping Chelsea’s bright attacking playmaker Oscar from influencing the game too much. The Brazilian has been experiencing a good run of form so far this season and has arguably been Chelsea’s best player. Despite the team looking poor against Basel, he managed to put in a half-decent shift. Scott Parker will have to do a lot of work to ensure that Oscar doesn’t run riot against them.