Every preseason rep, every training ground rotation, every experiment Xabi Alonso has run since taking the job comes down to this trip across London. Craven Cottage does not care about a manager's résumé in Spain or Germany. It is Chelsea's first Premier League matchday under him, and Fulham gets to be the answer key.
Alonso has had a full week with a near-complete squad, no injury alibis, no split-squad friendly to hide behind. Whatever shape he wants this Chelsea team to take, this is the night it either shows up or it doesn't. Fulham, meanwhile, gets the version of Chelsea that has had the most time yet to gel under a new voice, which cuts both ways for a home crowd that would love nothing more than to spoil somebody's opening night.
None of the prep, the buildup, or the storyline decides what happens once the ball is kicked. So call it. Does Chelsea leave Craven Cottage with the win, or does Fulham make Alonso's real debut one to forget?