Chelsea 0-0 Fulham LIVE: Mauricio Pochettino’s men face local rivals, with both sides aiming to bounce back from midweek Carabao Cup defeats and Blues desperate to ignite their season

Sterling finds himself in behind Fulham lines for the first time and he attempts to square it. Fulham manage to regroup and clear it away.

Momentary concern fro Chelsea as Enzo Fernandez takes a knock but he can run it off.

Raheem Sterling putting the pressure on Kenny Tete as Fulham try to play their way out. Tete then catches Sterling and Chelsea have an early chance to load the box.

But the free-kick comes to nothing in the end.

Both teams in their traditional colours I’m pleased to say – Chelsea in blue, Fulham in white.

And we are off and running at Stamford Bridge in the first of two Premier League games today.

Chelsea get us started.

The flame machines pitchside burst into life as the players of Chelsea and Fulham make their way out onto the Stamford Bridge pitch.

A huge blue ‘Pride of London’ flag is passed over the crowd in the Matthew Harding Stand.

Not too much longer to wait now as we anticipate Chelsea vs Fulham in this lunchtime’s London derby.

It’s a dry but pretty chilly January day in the Capital. One for the thick coat and woolies.

Chelsea XI: Petrovic; Gusto, Disasi, Thiago Silva, Colwill; Caicedo, Fernandez; Broja, Gallagher, Sterling; Palmer.

Substitutes: Bettinelli, Bergström, Badiashile, Mudryk, Madueke, Chukwuemeka, Chilwell, Deivid, Gilchrist.

Fulham XI: Leno; Tete, Adarabioyo, Diop, Robinson; Palhinha, Cairney; Wilson, Pereira, Willian; Jimenez.

Substitutes: Rodák, Reed, Ream, De Cordova-Reid, Muniz, Castagne, Lukic, Vinícius, Francois.

Into the final half-an-hour before kick-off and the players are being put through their paces as Stamford Bridge slowly fills up.

Fulham have claimed some notable scalps this season and despite their poor record against Chelsea, boss Marco Silva struck an optimistic tone on TNT Sports.

‘The recent story from Fulham here has not been great but in the last 18 months we have been breaking some very good records in this kind of thing,’ he said.

‘Last Premier League match we won against Arsenal and someone told me it had been 12 years since we won against Arsenal. This has been our recent story and hopefully we can do it this afternoon.

‘These type of games we step in and step up, we have been really competitive against any side in this league. I am really confident we are going to do it.’

Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino, speaking pre-match on TNT, again spoke of his team’s quest to find some consistency.

They’ve been picking up some decent league results but then lose to Middlesbrough in the Carabao Cup.

‘Fulham is a team that plays really well, they are very consistent and they have performed well in the last month and had a great result against Arsenal,’ Pochettino said.

‘They have great quality and a great coach.

‘The team is not consistent. We came off a very good run, we were the third or the fourth best side over Christmas, then we lost the first leg in Middlesbrough. Many big sides have lost against Middlesbrough in the last few years.

‘We are inconsistent and it looks like the end of the world but we need to be patient.’

Traditionally, Fulham have not done very well at all in this local derby with Chelsea.

They’ve won just one of their last 23 Premier League games against Chelsea (eight draws, 14 losses). But they did beat them 2-1 at Craven Cottage almost exactly a year ago.

What’s more, Chelsea are unbeaten in their last 18 home league games against Fulham, winning 11 of those.

The last time Fulham won at Stamford Bridge in the league was in October 1979.

So Fulham fighting against history this afternoon.

Good to see Ben Chilwell named among the Chelsea subs today as he returns following nearly four months out with a hamstring injury.

The England left-back hasn’t played since the 1-0 home defeat to Aston Villa in late September.

Here’s Chelsea’s Cole Palmer and Raheem Sterling, both in then starting line-up, arriving a short while ago.

Marco Silva has made three changes from the Fulham side that went down 2-1 at Liverpool on Wednesday night.

Kenny Tete starts ahead of Timothy Castagne in defence. Tom Cairney and Harry Wilson also make the line-up.

Harrison Reed has been struggling with illness and only lines up among the subs.

Fulham XI: Leno; Tete, Adarabioyo, Diop, Robinson; Palhinha, Cairney; Wilson, Pereira, Willian; Jimenez.

Substitutes: Rodák, Reed, Ream, De Cordova-Reid, Muniz, Castagne, Lukic, Vinícius, Francois.

Mauricio Pochettino has made just one change from the team been 1-0 by Middlesbrough in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday night.

Armando Broja comes in to replace Noni Madueke, who is on the bench. Ben Chilwell and Benoit Badiashile return to the squad and sit on the bench.

Nicolas Jackson away now at the Africa Cup of Nations.

Chelsea XI: Petrovic; Gusto, Disasi, Thiago Silva, Colwill; Caicedo, Fernandez; Broja, Gallagher, Sterling; Palmer.

Substitutes: Bettinelli, Bergström, Badiashile, Mudryk, Madueke, Chukwuemeka, Chilwell, Deivid, Gilchrist.

We will bring you the confirmed team line-ups shortly as we count down the final hour until kick-off.

What a nickname that is – ‘little Messi’.

His real name is Estevao Willian, he’s 16 and if reports in Brazil are to be believed, he’s being watched very closely by Chelsea.

Click the link to read more.

Lots of speculation with the transfer window open that Conor Gallagher, who has captained Chelsea this season, could be let go in order to balance the books under Financial Fair Play.

Even more surprisingly, the England midfielder has been linked with Chelsea’s London rivals Tottenham.

Joe Cole, speaking on TNT Sports, clearly believes selling him would be a mistake.

These two clubs are so close together Fulham could have walked over. Instead they came by bus but here’s Bernd Leno and Tom Cairney greeting a young mascot as they arrived at Stamford Bridge.

It was definitely a move that raised a few eyebrows. Cole Palmer, one of the brightest talents in English football, allowed to leave Manchester City in the summer for a direct Premier League rival.

Since then, the £42.5m man had confirmed his class and is really standing out in this lavishly-assembled Chelsea side.

Mail Sport sat down with him at Cobham for an exclusive interview. Click the links to read.

Burnley 1-1 Luton Town

Chelsea vs Fulham (12.30pm)

Newcastle United vs Manchester City (5.30pm)

Everton vs Aston Villa (2pm)

Manchester United vs Tottenham Hotspur (4.30pm)

We’ve also got a little winter break explainer for you HERE.

Only the five game in this smaller Premier League weekend with the matchday split in half so teams can enjoy a bit of winter down time.

The action started last night in a basement battle between Burnley and Luton that ended all-square.

Click the link below to read our match report from Turf Moor.

Welcome to your Premier League Saturday! Just the two matches today amidst the winter break but plenty to play for.

Later it’s Newcastle vs Manchester City but this lunchtime we have a London derby between Chelsea and Fulham at Stamford Bridge.

Mauricio Pochettino’s side still look very much a work in progress but victory here takes them above Manchester United and a big win could put them seventh.

Fulham are very much still in their Carabao Cup semi-final tie with Liverpool, having gone down 2-1 a Anfield in midweek, and they re-focus on league action knowing a win moves them to within one point of Chelsea.

It’s fair to say the Cottagers don’t have the best record against their near-neighbours and their recent away form has been pretty wretched, but you never know in the Premier League!