Alex Howell
Football reporter at Stamford Bridge

Enzo Fernandez making his Chelsea debut standing next to Mykhailo Mudryk who makes his first start for the Blues. This feels like the proper start of Graham Potter's time in charge.

Image source, BBC Sport

We are under way in the first game of the weekend.

The players are out on the pitch. Decent atmos at the Bridge.

Image source, Getty Images

The Premier League is "almost bankrolling" European football, with La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga and Ligue 1 in danger of becoming "feeder leagues", says French journalist Julien Laurens.

Premier League clubs spent £815m during the January transfer window.

That is over four times the combined £198m in Spain, Italy, Germany and France.

"Right now the only league where you can afford anyone is the Premier League," said Laurens on BBC Radio 5 Live's Euro Leagues podcast.

"People that run French clubs, they're relying on English clubs to spend £20m or £30m to sign one of their players. If you have a young player that's not too bad in Ligue 1 someone from England can say 'he might be good, here's £40m'.

"The Premier League is almost bankrolling European football."

Image source, Getty Images

No team has won more Premier League games since the World Cup than the four Fulham have.

However, Marco Silva's side could lose three consecutive league matches for the first time this season.

Fulham

Fulham boss Marco Silva, speaking to Sky Sports: "I know the last two weeks they have had time to prepare for this game. Of course one of the players they signed on the last day but he is one player and there are others.

"We look at them as a whole. We played against them three weeks ago. It is the third time we will play a Potter team this season. They are a team who can change formation easily in the match, we are ready for it."

Image source, Getty Images

• Chelsea have lost just two of their 37 home league games against Fulham (W22 D13) and are unbeaten in their past 17 against them at Stamford Bridge (W11 D6), since a 2-0 loss in November 1979.
• Fulham beat Chelsea 2-1 at Craven Cottage last month. They are looking to complete their first league double over the Blues, with this the 38th campaign in which they've met.

The top two in Scotland's Championship go head to head - Queen's Park and Ayr.

The Spiders v The Honest Men. English football could really learn a thing or two from Scottish nicknames.

You can watch that one here on BBC Scotland.

West Brom face Coventry tonight in the Championship. Follow live text on that here.

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Fulham manager Marco Silva feels his side are "ready" to face a Chelsea side bolstered by record spending in the January transfer window.

"They have the capacity to change systems and do something different," said Silva, ahead of his 400th game in professional management.

"We are going to be ready to face the different types of formations they can play and the new signings.

"They strengthened their squad and they were able to do the same again in this transfer window. They have that power. If this is too much money or not, is not for me to talk about."

Image source, Getty Images

Fulham's "sensible" transfer window is a sign the club is making progress in the Premier League, argues BBC Radio London's Phil Parry.

The understated signings of Sasa Lukic and Cedric Soares on deadline day strengthened Marco Silva's squad in important areas for the second half of the season.

"They were wise acquisitions as Fulham did not need wholesale changes," Parry said on The Far Post podcast. "Silva knows what he is doing and it was a sensible approach."

On their past two visits to the Premier League, Fulham have embarked on large-scale spending sprees to try to remain in the division but ultimately failed.

"There has been criticism in the past for how Fulham have gone about their business in the Premier League," said Parry. "This time round there is a much better structure to their recruitment process.

"It gives Fulham fans a lot of cheer."

Listen from 28'15 for the full discussion on BBC Sounds

Hakim Ziyech was in Paris on Tuesday night expecting a deal to be confirmed, but the registration was not completed and so he returned to Chelsea.

BBC Sport understands the player contacted Chelsea owner Todd Boehly directly in an effort to resolve the matter, but his pleas were ultimately unsuccessful.

The issues are thought to have involved legal agreements between the two clubs, which were in order and just needed signing.

Chelsea sent theirs back by the deadline, but due to a technical issue PSG did not receive it.

PSG requested a copy which was sent back at 23:00 GMT, by which time it was too late for Ziyech to be registered.

Chelsea

Chelsea boss Graham Potter, speaking to Sky Sports about when he decided to hand Enzo Fernandez an immediate start: "As soon as the paperwork came through and we know he can play and he is able to do it, it was clear.

"He is an impressive young man, great character, personality and I'm looking forward to seeing him play."

On starting Hakim Ziyech, despite a paperwork error causing a move to PSG to fall through: "He has played the last couple for us and done well. I had a conversation with him and I think he is old enough and experienced enough to know these things can happen sometimes in football. He has always been committed to the team and I thought it was right for him to play and help the team."

Alex Howell
Football reporter at Stamford Bridge

There was a huge cheer from the fans inside Stamford Bridge as they heard Enzo Fernandez's name read out over the speaker system.

BBC Radio London's Phil Parry has called Chelsea's big money signing Enzo Fernandez a "bold gamble."

"It's a bold gamble because of the length of deals and the exorbitant amount of money," he told The Far Post podcast. "They have bought exciting players with real quality and it indicates a long-term strategy.

"From a fan's point of view, why would you not be excited? The future of the club is already being built - with the gamble these young players will deliver sustained success.

"At some point there will have to be wholesale exits as the squad will be so unwieldy."

Listen to the full Chelsea discussion on BBC Sounds

Chris Sutton
BBC football expert

Image source, .

These two sides met a few weeks ago, when new Chelsea signing Joao Felix was sent off on his debut and Fulham won 2-1.

This time? Well, who knows how Chelsea will line up on Friday with all their new signings - including Enzo Fernandez, the £107m man.

Jorginho started their last game, against Liverpool on 21 January, and he has now joined Arsenal. Hakim Ziyech and Conor Gallagher were also in the team at Anfield and they were linked with moves away - especially Ziyech, who thought he was on his way to Paris St-Germain. Surely he won't be involved?

There are so many questions and there is simply no way Blues boss Graham Potter can know what his best team is now. I do like the look of Mykhailo Mudryk, who is incredibly quick, but selling Jorginho is very odd, even with his contract running out in the summer.

All of this makes it very difficult to make a prediction.

Fulham have lost their last two league games, without playing that badly, and with a settled team they should definitely play the more fluid football.

But maybe this is the moment Potter's luck turns and he gets a break for the first time at Stamford Bridge. That's what I'm going with, anyway!

Sutton's prediction: 2-1

Chelsea have spent £545.6m over the past two transfer windows, excluding potential add-ons, in contrast to Fulham's outlay of £61.4m.

Tonight's game kicks off the weekend's Premier League action, with seven games taking place on a busy Saturday.

Before all those get under way Football Focus is on BBC One at 12:00 GMT and this week features Aston Villa and Poland right-back Matty Cash.

He tells Football Focus reporter Liam MacDevitt about his World Cup adventure, getting Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe's shirts and playing under Unai Emery.

Watch a snippet from the interview above.

Image source, Getty Images

Enzo Fernandez is "an amazing talent" who will be able to handle the pressure of being a £107m midfielder, says French journalist Julien Laurens.

Chelsea broke the British transfer record on deadline day to sign the Argentina World Cup winner from Benfica and Laurens is confident he will be a success at Stamford Bridge.

"He has the personality to cope with it all," he told the Euro Leagues podcast. "He is an amazing signing - all the signings they have made this month have been great.

"He was very impressive in the Champions League this season, bossing the group games against Paris St-Germain and Juventus. I think he will slot in and show his talent straight away because he would improve any team."

Chelsea have named their Champions League squad for the knockout stages - and Noni Madueke, Benoit Badiashile, David Datro Fofana, Andrey Santos, Gabriel Slonina and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang all miss out.

The Blues were only allowed to name three of their January signings, and they chose Mykhailo Mudryk, Enzo Fernandez and Joao Felix.

Aubamenyang played for the Blues in the group stages but has been dropped.