Brentford vs. Chelsea Match Preview

Brentford welcome Chelsea to the Brentford Community Stadium for this Friday evening Premier League match as they both look to vault up the table.

Bees continuing to thrive under Keith Andrews

Keith Andrews has proved that last season was no one-hit wonder, guiding the Bees to one win and three draws across their opening four Premier League matches so far this term.

The opening 3-0 triumph over Tottenham Hotspur has certainly set the tone. Andrews’ men didn’t give Spurs a sniff and while they haven’t won a league match since then, draws against Leeds, Sunderland and Bournemouth have Brentford sitting seventh in the table.

Progress in the EFL Cup is another pleasing aspect of the first few weeks. Wins over Birmingham and Reading have moved Brentford into the las t 16 stage and a victory over Sunderland will see the club move into the quarter-finals.

Things are rosy at the moment, but we all know how fickle a game football can be and that things can turn quickly.

The clash against Chelsea is arguably Brentford’s toughest test of the season thus far, but the Bees can take inspiration from the fact that Hull scored twice and eventually drew with them last week.

There are plenty of signs of optimism ahead of the clash, as Chelsea have only won three of the ten Premier League matches between these two sides. Indeed, the Bees have also won three times since returning to the top flight in 2021, including a stunning 4-1 triumph at Stamford Bridge in 2022.

Although the home side are winless in the last five matchups, don’t be surprised to see Andrews secure another wonderful result.

Xabi Alonso is enjoying a solid start to life as Chelsea boss

Six games, four wins, one draw and only a single defeat – to the reigning Premier League champions no less – indicates a decent start to the campaign for Chelsea.

Despite going ahead in the second minute against Arsenal, the Blues succumbed to a 2-1 loss and followed that up with a draw against Hull last weekend.

In between those games, the Blues showcased both their attacking talents and defensive frailties with a 6-3 EFL Cup win over Leeds.

Alonso’s men were 2-0 down after 48 minutes, yet somehow scored six goals in the last 37 minutes to move into the next round.

Chelsea have the best attacking record in the top flight having scored ten goals in four games, yet they’ve conceded nine times, with only three sides conceding more this season.

A victory on Friday evening will see Chelsea move into the top four and will restore some of the momentum gained from the opening couple of league games.

Brentford will be tough to crack, however, no doubt about that.

Team news

Joshua Dasilva, Antoni Milambo, Nathan Collins, Sepp van den Berg and Kafe Furo are all missing for Brentford ahead of this Friday evening clash.

Elsewhere, Mathias Jensen is a doubt for the game, and it remains to be seen whether he will be fit.

For Alonso, several recent injury absentees might be available on Friday. Moises Caicedo, Jordan Henderson, Emmanuel Emegha and Marco Palestra all could play a part against the Bees.

Prediction

With both teams in decent form this season, this clash on Friday night could be an exciting one, especially if Chelsea continue flexing their attacking muscles.

The Bees have yet to suffer defeat this season across their six matches, a run that Andrews won’t want to end against the Blues.

Chelsea haven’t won in the league since the end of August and while dropping more points here wouldn’t be disastrous, it could halt some momentum under Alonso.

The previous four league meetings between these two sides at this stadium have finished as draws, but I think Chelsea will sneak it this time around. Brentford 1 – 2 Chelsea.