Chelsea vs Fulham live: Hosts suffer Delap injury blow in early stages of Premier League London derby | OneFootball

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Palmer out for a few days, misses Fulham - Maresca’s Chelsea fitness update

Chelsea face a crucial early London derby as they bid to kick-start a Premier League title charge with near neighbours Fulham visiting Stamford Bridge.

An opening 0-0 draw with Crystal Palace represented a sluggish start to Chelsea’s season but Enzo Maresca’s side were back in much more fluent form against West Ham, romping to a 5-1 victory - even after Cole Palmer’s late withdrawal. The England international, omitted from Thomas Tuchel’s squad on Friday, has been ruled out of this clash, though Chelsea have plenty of depth in their forward line.

A frustrating summer for Fulham has seen manager Marco Silva increasingly displeased with the club’s failure to add significantly to their squad, with time running short to make the signings he still feels they need. Two draws, against Brighton and Manchester United, are a far from disastrous start, but Silva will be hopeful of an improved showing as he waits for possible reinforcements to arrive.