PREM: Chelsea v Fulham preview

Chelsea v Fulham preview

Claudio Ranieri returns to Stamford Bridge on Sunday as Fulham kick off Derby Day with a clash against west London rivals Chelsea.

Ranieri managed Chelsea between 2000-2004, reaching the semi-finals of the Champions League and laying the platform for future success at the club.

He made a winning start at Fulham last weekend as Aleksandar Mitrovic scored twice in a 3-2 victory over Southampton.

"When you win, everything changes," said Ranieri. "The players come here happier and that is normal. But now we have to forget and think about Chelsea.

"It's another difficult match for us...We need points and we are ready."

Chelsea will be looking to bounce back after suffering their first defeat of the season against Tottenham last weekend.

They made 10 changes on Thursday as they beat PAOK 4-0 in the Europa League, but Maurizio Sarri is set to revert to his first-choice line-up against Fulham.

"In the last match the problem was the team, not one or two players," he said.

Eden Hazard is pushing to return after missing the win over PAOK with an ankle injury, but Olivier Giroud's two-goal performance may not dislodge Alvaro Morata as first-choice striker, particularly as the Frenchman appeared to suffer a knock in the second half.

Chelsea vs Fulham is the first part of Derby Day on Sky Sports, with Arsenal facing Tottenham and Liverpool playing Everton later in the day.

After making 10 changes against PAOK, Sarri is set to restore the likes of Cesar Azpilicueta, Antonio Rudiger, David Luiz, Marcos Alonso and N'Golo Kante to the starting line-up.

Hazard will be assessed ahead of the game.

Andre Anguissa and Kevin McDonald (hamstring) are unavailable for Fulham.