Fulham vs Chelsea betting tips: Back Blues for fast start

Football

Betting

Mon, 24 Aug 2026

The final fixture of the new Premier League season’s opening matchday takes place on Monday night as West London foes Fulham and Chelsea clash at Craven Cottage.

After posting a strong profit with three winners from five football selections in his weekend column, Odds Now’s Matt Hill looks to keep his good form going with two wagers on this evening’s contest.

Fulham vs Chelsea betting odds

Match winner - Fulham 10/3, Draw 29/10, Chelsea 10/11

Over 2.5 match goals - Yes 8/11, No 23/20

Both Teams To Score - Yes 4/6, No 5/4

Goal In Both Halves - Yes 4/6, No 13/10

First Goalscorer (selected) - Joao Pedro 5/1, Danny Welbeck 5/1, Cole Palmer 6/1, Rodrigo Muniz 15/2, Morgan Rogers 8/1, Gonzalo Garcia 9/1, No Goalscorer 12/1

*All prices correct as of publish time, 11AM on Monday August 24th 2026, and subject to change

Fulham vs Chelsea match preview

These sides are two of many to enter the Premier League campaign with a new manager in their dugout.

It is two former Real Madrid bosses and ex-Liverpool players that face off on Monday, with Fulham making the left-field appointment of Alvaro Arbeloa to replace the long-serving Marco Silva, while Chelsea have pulled off what many view as a coup in landing Xabi Alonso as their new gaffer.

Arbeloa was clearly held in high regard by the Los Blancos hierarchy to be handed the reins of the first team back in January – ironically after the departure of Alonso. His tenure was relatively unremarkable, with Madrid knocked out of the Champions League at the quarter-final stage and finishing second to arch-rivals Barcelona in La Liga. That saw him depart in June, before Fulham made their move less than a month later.

Alonso’s stock definitely did drop a little bit during his six-month stint in the Spanish capital. He arrived from Bayer Leverkusen having led the German side to an unlikely Bundesliga triumph in 2023-24, playing some swashbuckling football to snap the 11-season winning streak of the mighty Bayern Munich.

But things never caught fire at the Bernabeu for the once midfield maestro. Despite a promising start, his tenure was dominated by off-field issues including, most notably, a big fallout with Vinicius Jr, and he was relieved of his duties in January after a 3-2 Spanish Super Cup loss to Barca.

Still, the feeling is that Alonso is destined to be a top-class manager for many years to come and he will hope to get his promising coaching career back on track at Stamford Bridge.

These two sides have had contrasting summers in terms of transfer business. Fulham have been relatively quiet up to now regarding incomings, with Gonzalo Garcia and Cesar Palacios linking back up with Arbeloa from Real Madrid, Jonah Kusi-Asare arriving from Bayern Munich and Shea Charles a notable recent capture from Southampton.

However, outgoings are a worry. Raul Jimenez and Harry Wilson’s double-figure goal returns last term will be hard to replace, while Issa Diop and Sasa Lukic’s departures also see a drop in Premier League experience. More work may be needed in the coming weeks.

Chelsea, meanwhile, have been busy as usual. Morgan Rogers arrived in the summer’s marquee deal for a nine-figure fee from Aston Villa, while the signings of Jordan Henderson, Danny Welbeck and Maxence Lacroix point to a conscious move from Alonso to bring in Premier League experience.

The losses of Marc Cucurella and Trevoh Chalobah leave gaps in the Blues backline, but they do have ample potential replacements to come in – so perhaps this will age as a decent window for the West Londoners.

The squad still looks bloated, but redressing the balance between potential stars and proven operators looks a shrewd move. How Alonso will line his first-choice XI up, though, remains somewhat of a mystery.

Fulham vs Chelsea betting tips

Chelsea to win - 10/11 (Priced Up)

It’s no revolutionary statement to declare Chelsea as worthy favourites here – but I suspect the 10/11 is a tad bigger than most punters expected to get on the Blues in this match-up.

Fulham could be anything under Arbeloa, but it does feel that they will need a few weeks to truly settle on a best XI, having lost four senior figures this summer and largely replaced them with untested operators at Premier League level.

Chelsea, on the other hand, have signed Premier League-proven quality in Rogers, Welbeck and Henderson, complemented by a typical haul of young talents. However Alonso lines his side up, there’ll be a strong core of experienced top-flight performers and it may help them hit the ground running this term.

Simply, the Blues look better equipped for this opening test.

Morgan Rogers to score or assist - 8/5 (Paddy Power)

The fee that brought Rogers from Villa to Chelsea has caused a lot of debate this summer, yet the England international’s ability to improve his new side isn’t in question.

Since joining Villa from Middlesbrough, Rogers has evolved from a fringe prospect into a talismanic figure who can contribute plenty of end product in the attacking third. Last season at Villa, he scored or assisted in 13 of his 37 Premier League starts – and nine of those games were against bottom-half sides.

Given Fulham look more likely to endure a tricky campaign, Rogers will sense the perfect opportunity to make an impact on his Blues debut and 8/5 with Paddy Power for any direct goal involvement looks worth chancing.

Matt Hill’s best bets for Fulham vs Chelsea – Monday August 24th 2026

3pts - Chelsea to beat Fulham - 10/11 (Priced Up)

1.5pts - Morgan Rogers to score or assist vs Fulham - 8/5 (Paddy Power)

Total staked - 4.5pts

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Matt Hill

Darts

Football

Matt Hill is Odds Now's Head of Content and leads our digital operation, while also offering his insight as a tipster across darts and football.

Having worked in the industry for the best part of a decade, including extended stints with Betfred and LiveScore, Matt joined the project in May 2024 with the sole aim of making Odds Now a key player in the betting content space.

He has also forged a reputation as a respected darts tipster, landing numerous three-figure outright winners over the years, while his love for lower league football also helps him pick out the odd obscure winner in that space.

When not at the editorial desk, Matt enjoys travelling the country supporting his beloved Carlisle United FC, chucking a few arrows and spending time with his young family.

Matt Hill is Odds Now's Head of Content and leads our digital operation, while also offering his insight as a tipster across darts and football.

When not at the editorial desk, Matt enjoys travelling the country supporting his beloved Carlisle United FC, chucking a few arrows and spending time with his young family.