England Premier League
Wednesday 26th April 2023
Kick off at 7:45pm BST
Venue: Stamford Bridge
Match Preview:
Frank Lampard is looking for his first win as Chelsea manager after 4 games in all competitions that have seen the Blues knocked out of the Champions League, and with a chance to slip to 12th place. Chelsea have also lost to Wolves and Brighton and there is some talk that Lampard could even be replaced before his contract ends when the season does. There is a lot of frustration at the club and with the way they are run it wouldn’t be impossible to think that Lampard could be gone if another loss follows on Wednesday.
Chelsea are in 11th place and Brentford are in 10th and even if the Blues win they cannot go above their opponents as there is a five point gap. Form has seen just two points earned from their last 15 and we would have to go back six weeks since the clubs last victory which came on the road against Leicester. Chelsea’s problem is goals and with 30 even the likes of Leicester and Leeds who are involved in a relegation battle have scored more. Playing at home used to almost be a guarantee that the Blues would not lose and they once went 4 years unbeaten at home but that was a long time ago and the current side have lost twice in their last four games and haven’t won here since beating Leeds almost two months ago.
Brentford’s European hopes could be rekindled with victory over Chelsea although their chances do look slim. It has still been a terrific season from the Bees though but one has to question if the wheels are coming off? Form has hit a wall with no wins in their past five games and just two points earned. At the weekend they did manage a 1-1 home draw to in form Aston Villa but away from home has seen 3 games without a win including losing their last two in a row which have come against Manchester United and Wolves. Thomas Frank’s side would go into 9th place with a win here and if Fulham have lost or drawn the day before.
Team News:
Chelsea: Kalidou Koulibaly is out with a hamstring injury and could be missing for a few weeks. Armando Broja is out for the season with a knee injury.
Brentford: Christian Norgaard will be assessed for what looks like a minor knock, Kristoffer Ajer looks set to miss out again due to his calf injury. Both Pontus Jannson and Keane Lewis-Potter are out for the season.
Chelsea vs Brentford Head to Head:
Last season in this fixture Brentford won 4-1.
Earlier in the season in the reverse fixture the game finished 0-0.
In the last 10 years the clubs have played each other seven times and Chelsea has 4 wins, Brentford 1 and there have been two draws.
Chelsea vs Brentford Prediction:
Chelsea have been well rested as they didn’t have to play at the weekend. There last game was the defeat in the Champions League to Real Madrid where despite the loss they played some good football especially in the first half and one has to believe that if the players can deliver that performance they should be able to finish the season strongly. The worry is that the belief of having Lampard in charge seems to have already hit a wall because the club are playing for nothing but pride now. They won’t go down or face a battle and they won’t qualify for Europe, and of course so many players have been brought in that they are still gelling.
Chelsea are odds on to win this game but are a decent price to do so, however many may shy away from a club who have been so underwhelming this season. Brentford enjoyed a 4-1 win here last season, surely that cannot happen again but the problem with the Bees is that their form has taken a turn for the worse. On paper Chelsea has a much stronger side and although it is a risk we will back the Blues to get the win, surely it cannot get any worse for them?
Chelsea vs Brentford Betting Tips:
Chelsea to beat Brentford at 1.66
Anytime goalscorer: Kai Havertz at 2.75
Anytime goalscorer: Joao Felix at 2.75
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