Chelsea will embark on a fourth successive London derby to open their Premier League campaign as they make the short journey west to take on Brentford.
Match News and Current Form
A tumultuous summer at Brentford came to an unhappy end as Yoane Wissa finally got his move to Newcastle on deadline day, joining Bryan Mbeumo, Christian Nørgaard and former manager Thomas Frank in exiting the club. Frank’s replacement, Keith Andrews, has endured plenty of struggles in his short tenure that has so far yielded just one win from their three Premier League outings (L2). Conceding the decisive goal in the 96th minute of a 2-1 defeat to Sunderland before the international break must have been particularly painful, but home comforts could help the Bees correct their course as they have won three of their last four league matches on their own turf (L1).
Chelsea are yet to leave the capital in this Premier League season and they’re also yet to taste defeat (W2, D1), most recently beating Fulham 2-0 at Stamford Bridge in a game blighted by officiating controversies. There were no complaints from the Blues’ camp as this marks just the second time in seven seasons that they won two of their first three league outings. Enzo Maresca’s men will look to keep their momentum going before they enter the UEFA Champions League next week, and three wins from their last four Premier League road games should give them a foundation to build upon (L1).
Head-to-Head History
Only one of the eight Premier League H2Hs was won by the home side on the day (D3, L4). All three of Brentford’s wins over Chelsea in this competition came on the road, emerging winless from their four such home fixtures (D3, L1).
Hot Stats and Streaks
Brentford have had the joint-fewest shots of any side in the Premier League after three rounds (24).
Brentford scored exactly one goal in each of their last four league outings.
Only two of Chelsea’s last eight away matches in all competitions saw both teams score.
Chelsea have kept nine clean sheets in their last 15 Premier League games.
Key Players to Watch and Missing Players
Igor Thiago is expected to be amongst the action after scoring three goals in his four appearances this term and being booked in his last two. Chelsea will look to Enzo Fernández for inspiration as he has directly contributed to 14 goals in his last 18 matches for the Blues (G5, A9).
Brentford remain without long-term absentee Vitaly Janelt, while Chelsea are missing Liam Delap and Levi Colwill, but Cole Palmer and Roméo Lavia could be in line to return from recent layoffs.
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Betting Analysis
With Brentford’s firepower diminished over the summer and Chelsea solid at the back on the road, backing Chelsea to keep a clean sheet is an attractive option.
Author: Ryan Fisher