Fulham to upset a distracted Chelsea side

The Blues are battling on three fronts at the moment and Adam Bate believes that could be enough to give their neighbours the edge at Craven Cottage on Monday.This west London derby could go some way to deciding whether Chelsea are playing Champions League football next season as they try to keep the pressure on in a four-way battle for the remaining two spots.The difficulty for Roberto Di Matteo’s side is that with an FA Cup semi-final against Tottenham and a Champions League last four encounter versus Barcelona on the horizon, balancing priorities could be a real challenge.The Blues certainly will not be able to take any liberties with Martin Jol’s Fulham side and will need to be close to their best to pick up all three points.Chelsea are Evens (2.0) with Paddy Power to do just that.Fulham are in good form at Craven Cottage since the turn of the year, winning five of their last seven games on home soil. They are priced at 11/4 (3.75) for the win and that is the pick of the bets in this one.The draw is available at 12/5 (3.4) with Paddy Power.In the other markets, Fulham’s tendency for late goals in front of their own fans could be a factor in this one. Jol’s men have scored 11 second-half goals in just seven home games in 2012.That includes dramatic late recoveries to beat two of Chelsea’s Champions League rivals - Arsenal and Newcastle - at the Cottage in January.In contrast, Chelsea have had their defensive problems late on in games – on average they concede a goal a game in the final quarter of an hour of matches on their travels in 2012.As a result, backing draw/Fulham in the HT/FT market is a tempter in this one and the price of 7/1 (8.0) with Paddy Power looks to be the Value Bet here.