Grab your prawn sandwiches, Land Rover Defenders and gilets, as Monday Night Football is back, and it’s a doozy. Fulham host Chelsea at Craven Cottage in a battle of the toffs, at least off the pitch. But on it, these are two teams who have high expectations this season, and the early betting markets look ripe for the picking. Stick around as I dive into my bet builder to see where the value lies in the finale to the opening round of Premier League games.
TL;DR – My 10/1 Fulham vs Chelsea Bet Builder
| Bet | Betfred Odds | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Chelsea to win | 19/20 | 3 |
| Joao Pedro 2+ shots on target | 13/8 | 2 |
| Ryan Sessegnon 2+ fouls | 8/11 | 1 |
| Both teams to score – yes | 4/7 | 1 |
| Bet Builder | 10/1 | 1 |
*Odds correct at 11:15 BST on 21/08/2026. Odds subject to change.
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Claim – Bet £5, Get a £5 Bet Builder
Before we get into the weeds of the game, I wanted to highlight a cracking offer currently live with Betfred. Basically, if you place a £5 bet builder on Fulham vs Chelsea at odds of 3/1+, they will give you a £5 bet builder for free. This is for new and existing player accounts, so grab it while you can.
Bet 1: Chelsea to Win
I’ve a sneaky feeling Chelsea will do well this season. Getting Xabi Alonso is a massive plus, and him having the whole of the preseason to prep will be a big benefit to reshaping a side that’s massively underperformed over the last few seasons, given the financial outlay from the owners.
They’ve spent a lot of money, again, but it looks to have been invested wisely this time. Morgan Rogers is the marquee signing for £117 million from Aston Villa, but the likes of Maxence Lacroix, Marco Palestra and Geovany Quenda plug gaps left by the likes of Marc Cucerella and Andrey Santos, amongst others, leaving.
If I were a Fulham fan, I’d be concerned. Losing Marco Silva is a big blow and Alvaro Arbeloa, for me, is an adventurous gamble. I just don’t think they’ve got the squad to compete, especially after losing the likes of Raul Jimenez, Harry Wilson and Issa Diop.
An opening day win for Chelsea at 19/20 with the best betting sites is the value play here.
Bet 2: Joao Pedro 2+ Shots on Target
There’s lots of noise around Joao Pedro this season as the one to get a hold of that Chelsea front line and get them firing. 15 goals in 35 Premier League games last season was a decent return, but Alonso will need more from him this term if they are to fight for those Champions League spots.
Fulham will likely spend a lot of the game defending on Monday night, which is OK. But what I like about taking Joao Pedro for 2+ shots on target is that he’s not your typical nine, and he’s more than comfortable pulling the trigger from outside of the box, which is key for this market when teams come up against low blocks.
Bet 3: Ryan Sessegnon 2+ Fouls
Backing Ryan Sessegnon in the fouls market proved fruitful for me last season, and like a duck to water, I’m back again for more. It’s not necessarily that Sessegnon is a dirty player, but he’s high-intensity, hard-working and isn’t afraid of a tackle, which suits this market.
It’ll be interesting to see if Alonso risks Pedro Neto on Monday night given the noise around a potential £100 million move to Saudi Arabia. But he has featured in preseason, and it’ll be Sessegnon’s job to keep him quiet.
What also gets my attention here is that Morgan Rogers and Cole Palmer will likely be floating around that right side, depending on who plays. They have exceptionally high fouls-drawn metrics: 1.34 per 90 for Rogers and 1.71 per 90 for Palmer. These are great numbers to go with Sessegnon’s 1.63 fouls committed per 90 from last season, so a good fit once again.
Bet 4: Both Teams to Score – Yes
Chelsea have brought in four defenders this transfer window, which clearly shows where Alonso thinks they need to improve. Time will tell how they go, but they look like solid additions, if nothing else.
They’re going to take time to bed in. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and I can see them leaking goals before the manager can sync them all up and, most importantly, realise what his best combination is at the back.
Fulham should get chances, and I think they’ll nick one, before ultimately losing the game. Both teams to score boosts us nicely from 6/1 to 10/1, so I’m more than comfortable adding that as the final pick.
