It is the first time in five years that Boxing Day football is being hosted at Stamford Bridge – and it's somewhat fitting that in the season of goodwill, we host our neighbours from west London.

Home comforts have benefitted the Blues on Boxing Day in recent years. We have won six of our last ten matches at Stamford Bridge on the 26th, with the last being a 2-0 win over Brighton and Hove Albion in 2017. Impressively, a clean sheet was kept in each of those victories.

However, strip away the festivities and Fulham's visit is simply another Thursday assessment for Enzo Maresca and his players. We have played eight matches on a Thursday thus far, with seven ending in victory and an average of three-and-a-half goals scored per game.

Prior to the weekend's fixtures, the Blues were held to a goalless draw at Everton while Fulham drew 0-0 with Southampton, both sides were on 15-game scoring streaks. The Blues will hope to recapture our clinical edge on home soil.

We also remain London’s leading challengers in the Premier League this season and a victory will lift the Blues to within a point of Liverpool, who entertain Leicester City in one of the eight Boxing Day fixtures to be shown live on Amazon Prime in the UK.

Chelsea team news

Our outing at Everton on Sunday was not an easy one. Wild weather made fluid football difficult and the chances the Blues did fashion were not taken. Ultimately, however, we had goalkeeper Robert Sanchez and Tosin Adarabioyo, formerly of Fulham, to thank for the clean sheet that secured a point.

It did mean the Blues were unable to top the tree, however briefly, ahead of Christmas but the draw ensured we remained second in the table and only four points from the leaders. Fulham, meanwhile, head to Stamford Bridge ninth in the top flight but only three points off fourth.

Enzo Maresca has rotated his side throughout the campaign – and especially when it has come to our Thursday fixtures. Whether the Blues head coach opts to follow that pattern remains to be seen given we have four days to recover and prepare for our trip to Portman Road to face Ipswich Town.

Maresca will be without Romeo Lavia but the Belgian is progressing well in his recovery from a hamstring injury sustained earlier this month against Tottenham Hotspur.

Reece James, Wesley Fofana and Benoit Badiashile remain sidelined but Marc Cucurella is available after serving a one-match suspension against Everton.

Combined goals and assists (all competitions)

The history

For supporters of a certain age, a Christmas-time rendezvous with Fulham will bring to mind the 55,003 gathering at Stamford Bridge on 27 December 1976.

Fulham were a team of fading glories, from Bobby Moore and George Best to the injured Rodney Marsh, while the average age of Eddie McCreadie’s promotion hopefuls was 24.

The ghosts of Christmas past were surpassed by the spirit of Chelsea yet to come; the Blues earned a 2-0 win through a long-range Mickey Droy header and a tap-in by Kenny Swain.

In the top flight, west London derbies at the Bridge have proved one-way traffic since Fulham’s only win in March 1964.

Within that run is a see-saw 3-2 on Boxing Day 2005. The Blues burst into a 2-0 lead through William Gallas and Frank Lampard but Brian McBride and a Heidar Helguson penalty restored parity. However, in the last 15 minutes, Hernan Crespo expertly volleyed home Joe Cole’s cross for the winner.

Four of the past five west London derbies at Stamford Bridge have gone the way of the Blues, and our cross-borough cousins have failed to score in six consecutive visits.

In January this year, though, it took a penalty to maintain the hosts’ run of success. Issa Diop brought Raheem Sterling down on the stroke of half-time and Cole Palmer did what Cole Palmer does.

Know this…

Chelsea’s league win percentage at home to Fulham is 59, our sixth-highest against a current Premier League club behind Brighton (70%), Ipswich (68%), Leicester (65%), Bournemouth (63%) and Newcastle United (61%).

Fulham perform far better at home than away; 58 per cent of their wins and 58 per cent of their goals have come at Craven Cottage this term.

Tottenham’s third goal on Sunday took Liverpool to 16 goals conceded this season and ensured Chelsea’s Premier League record of 15, set in our title-winning 2004/05 campaign, is safe for another year.

This is the third of this season’s six west London derbies and one or both of the two local rivals will lose their 100 per cent record.

Premier League west London derbies (2024/25)