Chelsea vs Fulham live: Latest team news and updates with Cole Palmer out of Premier League clash – UK Times

A smoke show at the Bridge! Blue smoke comes out of the tunnel ahead of this fiery derby, Fulham fans in the corner of the Shed End in good voice. Chelsea fans with a big banner in the Matthew Harding stand, it reads, ‘London’s first, London’s finest’, in reference to that historic Champions League win over Bayern in 2012. They’ll be back in Munich in a few weeks, of course.

The players emerge from the tunnel at Stamford Bridge. Almost time for the opening game of this Premier League weekend…

Both sides have yet to lose in the Premier League this season. Fulham started with back-to-back draws, including last weekend’s point against Manchester United.

Chelsea, meanwhile, were held by Crystal Palace before thrashing London rivals West Ham. They will expect a sterner test at Stamford Bridge today though.

Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca: “Solid, well organised, they play nice football and it is not random they are doing well. Marco [Silva] is good, the players are good. We need to be careful, as always.”

On coping without Palmer: “When Cole is not in the game, we need to find different solutions. Hopefully tomorrow we can do the same.”

Fulham boss Marco Silva: “It’s going to be a big one. It’s a special moment for our fans. It also gives the players extra motivation because there’s something more special behind the three points.

“Since I joined the club, we have changed the record against Chelsea. We are now really competitive against them and we can match them. They have spent billions to strengthen their squad so they are in a completely different world to us off the pitch, they can do things we cannot.

“We know their strengths very well, they have individual and overall quality. They have a clear identity in terms of the way Enzo Maresca wants to play, such as overloading certain areas and stretching teams. For us, it’s clear what he wants in each moment of the game.”

Marco Silva could possibly have done with taking a few of Chelsea’s offloaded forward options. Prior to today’s clash he said: “We have a fantastic group of players here, but we still need depth, quality and competition. We need at least three players.”

“Two players and one midfielder” were the key targets, he said, adding: “We probably need a striker as well, but that probably isn’t going to be possible.”

Let’s see how they fare against Chelsea’s expensive forward line today.

Chelsea’s summer activity continued with the announcement that fellow forward Christopher Nkunku will leave the club on a permanent transfer to AC Milan. He has signed a five-year deal with the Serie A side.

The France international joined the Blues from RB Leipzig in 2023 in a deal worth £52m, scoring 18 goals in 62 appearances during a spell impacted by injury.

“We thank Christo for his efforts throughout his time at the club and wish him well as he begins a new chapter in his career,” read a statement on Chelsea’s website.

The Blyes will receive an initial loan fee of £13m and the German champions have a purchase option on the Senegal international worth £56.2m.

The 24-year-old, who has slipped down the pecking order at Stamford Bridge after the high-profile arrivals of Liam Delap and Joao Pedro this summer, has travelled to Germany to finalise the move.

Cole Palmer will miss Chelsea’s game against Fulham through injury having been left out of Thomas Tuchel’s England squad for the upcoming internationals.

The Chelsea No 10 “felt something” in the warm-up against West Ham, forcing Enzo Maresca into a late reshuffle, as Willian Estevao started in the 5-1 victory for the Blues at the London Stadium.

Tuchel has omitted Palmer for the upcoming World Cup 2026 qualifiers against Andorra and Serbia.

The 23-year-old was not seen outside in training on Tuesday as the media gathered at the club’s Cobham training base, and Maresca confirmed on Friday that he would not play this weekend.