Craven Cottage — London April 17, 2013 KO 8:00 PM BST
By Chris Teale
Fulham midfielder Damien Duff (groin) sustained an injury last time out against Aston Villa and may not be fit enough to start on Wednesday night.
Steve Sidwell serves the last match of his three-game suspension, so Kieran Richardson may well keep his place in the midfield. Otherwise, Martin Jol has no new injury concerns ahead of this game.
Meanwhile, Chelsea defender Ashley Cole (hamstring) is near a recovery although this game may come slightly too soon for the left-back, leaving Ryan Bertrand – who recently recovered from a virus – to deputise again.
Gary Cahill is also returning to full fitness and could make the bench for this game. Otherwise, Rafael Benitez is likely to field a strong side as the Blues look to open up a gap over fellow Champions League qualification rivals Tottenham.
DID YOU KNOW?
- Fulham have seen five own goals scored for them this season, the joint-most in the Premier League alongside Manchester United.
- The Cottagers have recovered just five points from losing positions in the league this term.
- Fulham have seen their woodwork hit 18 times this season, more than any other team in the top flight.
- Martin Jol’s men have drawn their last five matches against Wednesday’s opponents in all competitions.
- The hosts’ last league victory over Chelsea was a 1-0 win in 2005-06 thanks to a goal from Luis Boa Morte (pictured right).
- Chelsea are undefeated in their last 14 matches against Fulham in all competitions.
- The Blues’ loss to Manchester City in the FA Cup on Sunday was their first defeat in the competition in 30 matches, excluding penalty shootouts.
- Chelsea have not won a game away from home in the Premier League since they beat Stoke City 4-0 on January 12 – and only twice in all competitions in 12 outings.
