Premier League: High Hopes in West London Derby

Chelsea vs Brentford

A meeting of the Thomas’s on a bright sunny day on the Kings Road in London means one thing: Premier League: Chelsea vs Brentford, 3pm (UK time) on Saturday.

Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea entertain Thomas Frank’s Brentford in what should prove to be an entertaining match between two teams with plenty to be happy about. After a period of uncertainty at the club hopefully things are settling down at Chelsea, though the way the players have been performing you wouldn’t have known that the club was up for sale. Meanwhile Thomas Frank’s Brentford have exceeded everyone’s expectations in their first season in the top flight and have a superb chance of returning next term for a second campaign among the elite.

But while the situation looks very hopeful for both West London clubs, neither have a worry-free existence. The players at Chelsea must continue to avoid the external noise and continue their progress on the pitch. They are in third place in the Premier League and still have work to do to guarantee Champions League football next season. And despite picking up two recent victories, the Bees know how hard it can be in this company and will be wary of another long run of defeats.

The Blues come into the game on the back of a 2-0 FA Cup win over Middlesbrough while Brentford lost away to Leicester City last time out, and at SBOTOP odds of 1.32 the hosts are fully expected to win.  

Talking Points

Ownerless Chelsea fighting on three fronts

Thomas Tuchel’s team have a mouthwatering Champions League tie against Real Madrid to look forward to and are in the semi-finals of the FA Cup. But they must see the job through in the Premier League and maintain the excellent focus they have shown in recent weeks.

They will take this game to Brentford and I expect Tuchel to give a start to Kai Havertz and Christian Pulisic, fresh from a World Cup hat-trick against Panama, will also be in contention. Mason Mount is in a purple patch, with eight goals and seven assists, and the return of wing back Reece James has made a big difference; the England man has contributed six assists and five goals and has one of the best deliveries in the business.

Don’t expect the Chelsea vs Brentford highlights to be a case of attack versus defence though. There is sure to be some one way traffic when the hosts are high flying and full of expectation. But while Chelsea are hoping for a seventh consecutive victory, in all competitions, the visitors are not backwards in coming forwards. The Bees have played an ambitious, high pressing and attacking game this season and they made a superb start, though a series of eight defeats in nine put Brentford in danger of making a swift return to the Championship.      

Eriksen has put Brentford within touching distance… 

But back-to-back wins against Norwich City and Burnley have put Franks’ team within a couple more wins from safety and the turning point was the signing of Christian Eriksen. The Danish star was cleared by the Premier League and Brentford swooped; and Eriksen was a key player in both of the Bees’ recent victories. He put a cross on a plate for top scorer Ivan Toney to head home late in the game against Burnley and his experience, class and poise have given Brentford that extra bit of quality they need at this level.  

And Eriksen has lifted the players around him. Toney added to his header against Burnley with a stoppage time penalty to make it 11 for the season and that’s a great return for a striker in the Premier League. Alongside him, Bryan Mbeumo has weighed in with three goals and four assists, while wide man Sergi Canos is a lively customer and he’s contributed three assists.   

History

Chelsea have won four of the five meetings with Brentford, including a 2-0 victory in the Carabao Cup quarter final as Jorginho added to an own goal from Pontus Jansson.  

In terms of recent form the Blues are well ahead too, with six wins from six, while the Bees have won two, drawn one and lost three.

Betting Tip

The pre-match Chelsea vs Brentford betting odds have the draw at 4.36 and Brentford at 9.16 to win; but it’s difficult to see either of those two outcomes.

The Bees have been brave all season, and in Eriksen they have the proven Premier League quality they need to survive and I think they’ll have enough. But Chelsea have a ruthless look about them at the moment and I’m backing the Blues to make it a magnificent seven.      

 

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