Marco Silva has urged his Fulham players to put in a special performance in tomorrow lunchtime’s local derby against Chelsea.
The Portuguese head coach wants to improve on a disappointing display in the reverse fixture at Craven Cottage in early October. He told his pre-match press conference earlier this afternoon:
“It’s a special one, no doubt about it. In London you have a big number of derbies, but you always have one or two that are more special for the fans. We play for the fans, and we know how certain games are important for them, and this is one of these games. At home, it wasn’t our best game. We want to do something different against a very good side. We have to be at a very, very good level because it’s going to be an intense game.”
Silva knows that, despite Chelsea’s sub-par form, Fulham will face a serious test at Stamford Bridge.
“They have not been as consistent as they would like, for sure, but of course they have the quality, a big squad, high quality, individual quality that can decide a game in any moment of the match. We have to be at a very, very good level because it’s going to be an intense game. A derby is always challenging, a lot of situations that are going to demand from ourselves to be at our best level. They’ve got a really good manager as well, and it’s going to be a very tough game for us.”
