Fulham have seen 57 goals in their 18 games so far this season and at home they have seen 30 goals in nine games. However, they have improved in recent weeks at the back – only conceding one goal in their last four in all competitions. They have seen under 3.5 goals in four of their last five home games and in 56% of their games here across the season. The key difference here is that they won’t have Mitrovic who has been a talisman for them, scoring 11 of their 30 goals. They may struggle to find the back of the net here without him leading the line.

Chelsea games have seen a lack of goals recently. They have been struggling to score and have only scored against Nottingham Forest and Bournemouth in their last eight (including a friendly against Aston Villa). Defensively, they stand towards the top end of the division having conceded just 19 goals in 17 games but have scored fewer than every other team in the top half with just 20 in that time. Their league games this season have seen four or more goals just 12% of the time and in just one of their nine away games, averaging 2.22 goals per game. They struggle to create chances and have amassed just 1.21 expected goals per game, falling to 1.11 xG per game away from home. Fulham will sense an opportunity to frustrate the Blues here and Chelsea are struggling to create chances right now. This selection has landed in 14 of 15 H2Hs since the start of the 2008/09 season and last time Fulham were in the Premier League, Chelsea won both games by an aggregate score of 3-0.

Willian faces the side he spent seven seasons with, winning two Premier Leagues, for the first time after not having faced them the last time he was in the league with Arsenal. He has scored one goal and had two assists for Fulham this season since signing from Corinthians and has had 22 attempts so far this season, with ten on target. In his last eight games for them, the 33-year-old has hit 16 shots and this selection has landed five times from the left wing. In his last four, he has hit seven shots, having two or more on three of those occasions – including against Manchester United at Craven Cottage.

There will be more responsibility on the Brazilian to shoot here without the big Serbian striker and he will be desperate to score against his old club. Chelsea have faced three left wingers since the return from the World Cup and this selection has landed twice with both Cole Palmer and Taiwo Awoniyi managing two each.

Thiago Silva has attempted over 300 passes more than any other Chelsea player this season with 1184 in 15 games, at an average of almost 79 per game. Under Graham Potter, he has started 12 game, attempting 942 passes in that time at an average of 78.5 per game. He has started four times in the league away from home under the new manager and has attempted 386 passes in those four games (96.5 per game), breaking 100 on two separate occasions. Last time he played on the road he attempted a massive 127 at Nottingham Forest. Without him, their defence was much more vulnerable at the Etihad where they lost 4-0 and he should come straight back in here.

Fulham’s opponents average 52.7% possession per game and Chelsea average the third highest amount of the ball in the league with 58.4% so far this season. They should see plenty of the ball and Thiago Silva is pivotal to the way that Graham Potter wants to play and pass the ball and there is a reason he has attempted the most passes of any Chelsea player this season.

Fulham average 5.06 corners per game this season, rising to 6.11 at home. At home, they have had four or more corners in 78% of their games, including in each of their last four. In fact, in three of their last five at Craven Cottage they have had at least eight corners, showing how important their wing play is to how they want to attack. Chelsea concede an average of 5.06 corners per game this season and have conceded at least four corners in eight of their nine away games, only failing to do so last time out against a Nottingham Forest side that had just 28% of the ball and one corner all game. Fulham will come out and attack the Blues and this should draw corners in for the home side as they run at the Chelsea full backs.