A west London derby is underway this evening as Fulham host Chelsea at Craven Cottage. The match features two managers who previously managed Real Madrid: Álvaro Arbeloa for Fulham and Xabi Alonso for Chelsea.
Arbeloa's objective at Fulham is to maintain the mid-table security established by former manager Marco Silva. Fulham have consistently finished between 10th and 13th in the four seasons since their promotion. Alonso, on the other hand, faces the minimum expectation of qualifying for Europe, especially after Chelsea failed to do so last season.
Despite finishing tenth domestically last season, Chelsea, described as the ninth richest club globally, are seen as having the potential to return to the top of the Premier League under Alonso. The lack of European football this season could potentially offer Alonso an opportunity to stabilise the club.