Fulham and Chelsea will bring the opening round of the new Premier League season to a close on Monday, 24 August, with Chelsea forecast to begin the campaign with a victory in a potentially demanding contest.
The match is the final fixture of the first round, and the available prediction favours the visitors under their new manager, Xabi Alonso. While Chelsea are expected to take all three points, the game is not anticipated to be straightforward for the Blues.
Fulham endured an inconsistent campaign last season and finished 11th in the Premier League. The Cottagers collected 52 points from their 38 matches, with that total built on 15 wins and seven draws. They lost the remaining 16 games.
Following that campaign, Marco Silva decided to leave his position as Fulham manager and subsequently moved to Benfica. The club will therefore start the new season with Alvaro Arbeloa in charge. The former Real manager has been appointed to lead Fulham into the new Premier League campaign.
The change in the dugout will be one of the main factors surrounding Fulham before their opening fixture. Arbeloa takes over a side that recorded more victories than defeats last season but still ended the campaign in the lower half of the table. His first competitive assignment will come against Chelsea, with the two clubs meeting in the final match of the opening round.
Chelsea’s previous season was described as a genuine nightmare for the club. The Blues finished 10th, one place above Fulham, after gaining 52 points from 38 matches. Their record included 14 wins and 10 draws, while they failed to collect a point in 14 games.
The London club also went through three managers during the campaign. Chelsea’s problems began to intensify in January after the unexpected dismissal of Enzo Maresca. Despite the change in leadership and the eventual tenth-place finish, the team’s results remained uneven across the 38-round league programme.
Chelsea will now begin another season under Alonso, who is expected to guide the side to victory at Fulham. The prediction is for a closely fought match rather than a comfortable success, with Fulham’s home advantage likely to make the opening fixture more competitive.
The forecast therefore points towards Chelsea starting the Premier League season with three points, although Fulham are expected to provide a serious test. The match will determine which of the two teams can make the stronger start after both ended the previous campaign outside the top half of the table.
Bookmaker information is available following quick registration.
Source 1: advertisement, winline.ru
Source 2: advertisement, fon.bet
