Both clubs begin new eras under Spanish managers, with Alvaro Arbeloa taking charge of his first competitive match as Fulham boss following Marco Silva's departure for Benfica, while Xabi Alonso starts life in the Chelsea dugout.
Fulham vs Chelsea: Preview
The opening matchweek of the 2026-27 Premier League season concludes with a West London derby as Fulham host Chelsea at Craven Cottage on Monday.
Arbeloa arrives at Craven Cottage after a significant summer of change for Fulham, who will be looking to build on their recent improvement against their neighbours.
The Cottagers beat Chelsea 2-1 at Craven Cottage in January and are now seeking consecutive home victories over the Blues for the first time since the 1970s.
Fulham's preparations for the new campaign produced mixed results, with Arbeloa overseeing two wins, two draws and two defeats from six pre-season friendlies.
Chelsea, meanwhile, head into the campaign looking for a significant improvement after finishing 10th in the Premier League last season.
Alonso is the latest man tasked with bringing stability and success back to Stamford Bridge, with the former Bayer Leverkusen and Real Madrid coach expected to implement his preferred 3-4-2-1 system.
There is plenty of optimism following the arrival of Morgan Rogers for a British-record transfer fee, while Joao Pedro enters the season in excellent form after scoring seven goals during pre-season.
Chelsea have struggled on the opening weekend in recent years, however, failing to win their first Premier League match in each of the last three campaigns, drawing twice and losing once. They last went four successive seasons without an opening-day victory between 1995-96 and 1998-99.
Fulham also have history to overcome on Monday. This will be the fourth time they have begun a Premier League campaign with a London derby, having lost each of the previous three, twice against Arsenal and once against Crystal Palace.
Despite those opening-day struggles, Chelsea are favourites to take all three points. The Opta supercomputer gives Alonso's side a 51.0% chance of victory, compared with 25.7% for Fulham.
Team news
Fulham head into the opener with a relatively healthy squad, although Tom Cairney will miss out with a knee injury and Joachim Andersen is suspended as he serves the final match of a three-game ban.
Summer signings Gonzalo Garcia and Cesar Palacios are expected to make their competitive debuts, while Alex Iwobi and Sander Berge could start together in midfield.
Chelsea will be without Jordan Henderson and Emmanuel Emegha, while Wesley Fofana is suspended following his red card on the final day of last season.
Danny Welbeck faces a late fitness test, while Rogers could make his competitive debut alongside Cole Palmer in support of Joao Pedro, who was recently bestowed with Chelsea's No. 9 shirt.
Predicted XIs
Fulham: Leno; Castagne, Bassey, Cuenca, Robinson; Iwobi, Berge; Bobb, King, Palacios; Garcia.
Chelsea: Sanchez; James, Lacroix, Colwill; Neto, Caicedo, Lavia, Palestra; Palmer, Rogers; Joao Pedro.
Join us for all the build-up on beIN SPORTS EN 1 from 21:00 Mecca time, with the match kicking off at 22:00. Every match from the 2026/27 Premier League season is available to watch live and exclusive on beIN SPORTS.
