Brentford vs Chelsea

A mini-London derby sees bottom-half Brentford and mid-table Chelsea lock horns in a high-stakes Premier League duel.

Brentford’s relegation fears intensified earlier this week after a 4-2 away loss to West Ham followed the reduction of Everton’s point deduction, leaving them only five points clear of the Premier League bottom three ahead of this round. As the pressure mounts on long-serving manager Thomas Frank, Chelsea’s visit to the Gtech Community Stadium falls kindly for the Bees, who have registered a shutout in their last three Premier League H2Hs (W2, D1). With only the two Manchester clubs ever holding the Blues scoreless in four consecutive Premier League games, a piece of history is on the cards here. Another flattering milestone is up for grabs, as Brentford could complete their first league double over Chelsea since 1938/39 following a 2-0 victory in October’s reverse fixture.

In the meantime, Chelsea bounced back from last weekend’s League Cup heartache with a late 3-2 home win against second-tier Leeds United in the FA Cup. However, Mauricio Pochettino’s men have stuttered in their recent Premier League matches, picking up just one win in their last four (D1, L2). That has increased the likelihood of another disastrous mid-table finish, pinning the Blues to 11th in the standings, four points adrift of seventh-placed Brighton. The visitors could turn to their three-game unbeaten away form for inspiration (W2, D1) and the fact they’ve not conceded a goal on their last three competitive visits to Brentford (W2, D1). That run is under serious threat, though, as Pochettino’s charges are without a clean sheet in their ten previous away league games.