Chelsea travel the short distance across Hammersmith and Fulham to Craven Cottage to face their neighbors in the West London derby. Fulham FC have a passionate dislike for Chelsea, primarily because Stamford Bridge is a few meters on the wrong side of the Kensington and Chelsea borough boundary.
The Blues don't feel the same about the Cottagers, as the song "We don't hate you, 'cause you're.... not very good (sic)" proves. However, a stalemate at Stamford Bridge in the reverse fixture this season sent Chelsea sliding down the table, and they will be looking to salvage some pride after a disappointing defeat to Manchester City in the FA Cup during the weekend.
Fulham have broken the 40-point safety barrier with six games left to play, and with another season of top-flight football assured, they have little other than bragging rights to play for.
Manager Rafa Benitez will more than likely rest players ahead of the weekend trip to Anfield, so don't be surprised if Victor Moses and Marko Marin start in place of Eden Hazard and Juan Mata. John Terry and Frank Lampard should return, having both missed out on a semifinal appearance against City, and Fernando "Zorres" will likely be the starting striker.
Ex-Chelsea man Damian Duff was substituted after 10 minutes of Fulham's 0-0 draw with Aston Villa this past weekend but could return for this derby, while Dimitar Betbatov will certainly be looking to add to his tally of 13 goals so far this season.
The Cottagers typically play a 4-4-1-1 formation, with their wingers providing most of the support for Berbatov. Chelsea will rely on their full-backs to counter this threat, and Cesar Azpilicueta will need to improve on his performance at Wembley to ensure they get the required result.
Anything but a win will not be good enough for the Blues. Having lost their last two matches in all competitions, failing to beat their noisy, yet less successful, neighbors would hugely impact their chances of playing Champions League football in 2013-14.
SkyBet are offering 5-6 on for a Blues win, alongside a draw at 11-4 and a Fulham win at 3-1. The game kicks off at 8 p.m. GMT on Wednesday, April 17, and you can follow it right here on Bleacher Report.
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