Chelsea return to Premier League action in the West London derby when the Blues travel to face Brentford this weekend.
Chelsea’s focus switches back to the league after two cup games and a week in the headlines, as they prepare to face their local rivals at the Gtech Community Stadium.
Here’s everything you need to know about Saturday’s fixture.
Premier League Match Preview – Brentford vs Chelsea:
Form
Brentford: LWLLL
Brentford have had a tough season so far, and have continued to struggle in 2024. After a third-round exit in the FA Cup at the beginning of January, they then lost five of their following seven Premier League matches.
Although the fixture list has not been kind to them, the Bees would’ve hoped to pick up more points since the return of their star striker Ivan Toney, who missed eight months following a ban for breaching gambling rules.
“Back with a BANG!” ????
Ivan Toney scores on his return! ???? pic.twitter.com/QmarvV2OvK
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) January 20, 2024
The gruelling schedule won’t get any easier for them either, as they are set to face Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United this month.
Sitting just five points above the relegation zone, with 18th placed Luton Town having a game in hand, Brentford have certainly been dragged into a relegation dogfight for the remainder of the season.
Every point counts for the Bees, but the scalping of their West London neighbours this weekend would be extra special and could spark an upturn in fortune.
Thomas Frank has been rightly praised for achieving so much with a club that had little outside expectation, but the Dane has raised the bar for what the Brentford fans and hierarchy can dream of.
The Bees will remain without six of their key players, as Rico Henry, Josh Da Silva, Bryan Mbeumo, Ethan Pinnock, Aaron Hickey and Kevin Schade all continue their long-term recoveries from injury.
Chelsea: WWDLW
Chelsea’s 13 remaining Premier League games will be under great scrutiny. After a disappointing Carabao Cup final loss to Liverpool last weekend, their hopes of European football next season took a bitter blow.
They sit 11th in the league, nine points off the top six, and four points away from 7th place, which could warrant a European place if the FA Cup is won by a team inside that top six.
However, following a 3-2 defeat of Leeds on Wednesday night, the Blues are still in the hunt for the FA Cup themselves. It’s needless to say the Chelsea hierarchy expected Mauricio Pochettino to deliver European football in his first season at the club, failing this would put the Argentine under huge pressure, which has already started to build within the fan base.
They’ve won the same amount of league games as they have lost, which is not much of an improvement from last year. Despite the fact they’ve been battling injuries, a squad which cost over a billion pounds should be competing at a much higher level.
Furthermore, with fixtures against Arsenal and Newcastle to come, they must be taking maximum points off the sides that are struggling for form. But this has not always been an easy task against Saturday’s opponents, who are unbeaten in their last four meetings with Chelsea.
The Blues remain without a large number of their defence through injuries this weekend. Brazilian centre-half Thiago Silva has returned to training but remains a doubt.
Previous Meetings
Saturday’s fixture will be the 21st instalment of this particular West London clash. Chelsea have won half of the previous meetings, but it has been Brentford that has had the upper hand since their return to the top division in 2021.
The Blues haven’t beaten Brentford in the Premier League since October 2021, and when the two clubs met earlier this season, they were rendered goalless in a 2-0 defeat as Brentford became the first-ever club to win their first three matches at Stamford Bridge.
The goals that day came courtesy of centre-half Pinnock, and the ever-impressive Mbeumo, who will both be on the sidelines this time around.
Predicted Lineups
Brentford: Flekken; Jorgensen, Ajer, Zanka; Potter, Onyeka, Norgaard, Jensen, Reguilon; Toney, Maupay.
Chelsea: Petrovic; Gusto, Disasi, Colwill, Chilwell; Caicedo, Fernandez; Palmer, Gallagher, Sterling; Jackson.
Who is the referee?
Jarred Gillett.
Is the fixture on TV?
No.
What time is Kick-off?
15:00 GMT Saturday 2nd March.
Odds
Brentford – 21/10
Draw – 11/4
Chelsea – 23/20
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