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Brentford v Chelsea – Match Preview

In-form Brentford host title contenders Chelsea on Saturday evening, with the Bees last victory against their west London rivals coming back in 1939.

Here’s all you need to know about that clash at the Brentford Community Stadium:

Form

Brentford: LWWDW

The newly-promoted side are already looking like being this season’s surprise package, having enjoyed a dream start to their debut Premier League campaign, with three wins and three draws in the opening seven league games.

Thomas Frank’s side continued their good run of form with a dramatic victory over West Ham in their last game prior to the international break, with substitute Yoane Wissa snatching a last-gasp winner after previously scoring late on to secure a point in the 3-3 draw with Liverpool.

 

The win was no more than the Bees deserved as they dominated their hosts early on, taking the lead through Bryan Mbeumo, before Jarrod Bowen looked to have snatched a point late on, only for super-sub Wissa to fire home in the fourth minute of stoppage time.

That victory has moved Brentford up to seventh in the table and just four points behind leaders Chelsea, with the chance to close the gap on the Blues this weekend should they secure the three points.

Ahead of that clash, Frank has a number of injury concerns, with midfield duo Vitaly Janelt and Shandon Baptiste both set to be absent, while summer signing Kristoffer Ajer is also a doubt having missed the trip to the London Stadium.

Chelsea: WDLLW

Thomas Tuchel’s side suffered their first real setbacks of the season prior to the international break, suffering defeats against both Manchester City and Juventus, before picking up a vital win at home to Southampton last time out.

An early goal from Trevoh Chalobah – his second of the season – had looked to steer Chelsea towards a comfortable win at Stamford Bridge, only for the visitors to draw level from the penalty spot after a blatant foul by Ben Chilwell on former Blues youngster Tino Livramento.

The home side had earlier been left furious after Timo Werner’s strike was controversially ruled out for a foul in the build-up, albeit with their luck changing in the closing stages as goalscorer James Ward-Prowse was dismissed for a reckless challenge on Jorginho.

Tuchel’s men made that man advantage pay in a frantic finale, as Werner eventually got himself on the scoresheet after finishing off a neat passage of play, before Chilwell atoned for his earlier error to wrap up the win just minutes later to send his side to the top of the table.

The league leaders do, however, have a number of availability concerns for this weekend’s meeting, with Christian Pulisic likely to miss out once again, while Romelu Lukaku is also a doubt after missing Belgium’s defeat to Italy in the Nations League third-place playoff on Sunday with muscle fatigue.

Germany international Antonio Rudiger is also a doubt with a back complaint, while Thiago Silva won’t return from international duty until the day of the game, making his involvement highly unlikely.

On a more positive note, both Reece James and N’Golo Kante are back in training and could feature against the Bees.

Last Meeting

Chelsea 4-0 Brentford, 28 January 2017, FA Cup

The Blues have won the last two meetings between these two sides, winning 4-0 on both occasions, the most recent of which came four years ago in the fourth round of the FA Cup.

The then Premier League leaders and eventual champions – managed by Antonio Conte – were simply far too good for their Championship opponents, despite naming nine changes for the visit of Dean Smith’s side.

The win was effectively sealed inside 20 minutes as goals from Willian and Pedro put the hosts 2-0 up, before further second-half strikes from Branislav Ivanovic and a Michy Batshuayi penalty completed the rout.

That triumph was their tenth successive home win, as well as their 14th victory in their last 15 games in all competitions, with Chelsea going on to romp to the title and reach the FA Cup final, where they lost to rivals Arsenal.

Predicted Lineups

Brentford: Raya; Pinnock, Jansson, Zanka; Canos, Onyeka, Norgaard, Jensen, Henry; Toney, Mbeumo

Chelsea: Mendy; Azpilicueta, Chalobah, Christensen; James, Kovacic, Jorginho, Alonso; Mount, Havertz, Werner

Who is the referee?

Anthony Taylor

What channel is Brentford v Chelsea on?

UK and Irish readers can watch, or stream, the match on Sky Sports Premier League.

What time is kick off?

Saturday 16 October, 17:30 BST

Odds

Brentford – 11/2

Chelsea – 11/20

Draw – 3/1

Read – Midfield Magicians: Portugal’s playmaker supreme, Rui Costa

See also – Fantasy Premier League: Five of the best differentials for gameweek eight

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