Chelsea v Brentford preview: West London derby at Stamford Bridge
All Chelsea realistically have left to fight for is to avoid a first bottom-half Premier League (PL) finish since 1995/96, but even that’s not certain as they trail tenth-placed West London rivals Brentford by five points.
They say the night is always darkest before the dawn and with talks held with some big names in management, Blues fans will hope that they can once again challenge with the PL’s big-hitters next season.
For now though, Chelsea look to avoid losing four PL London derbies in one season for the first time since 2001/02 after falling to defeat in three of their last six all-London affairs this campaign (W1, D2, L3).
Thomas Frank’s Brentford were unlucky not to defeat an in-form Aston Villa at the weekend, but the Dane was nonetheless “proud of the players” following an impressive display.
Despite the positive performance, that result extended the Bees’ winless run to six games (D3, L3) and leaves them six points adrift of seventh place, the lowest possible finish to achieve a European spot for next season.
With just six games left to play this season, improving on Brentford’s solid, yet uninspiring away record in London derbies will likely be crucial in closing the gap to the top seven (W1, D2, L1).
Frank’s men did at least manage to score in each of those games, a record they’ll be eager to keep alive here after failing to net in over three hours of travelling play ahead of this clash.
Players to watch: Chelsea haven’t scored fewer goals at this stage of a league season (30) since they hit 17 a whopping 99 years ago, with Kai Havertz one of 14 players to contribute to that measly haul, clocking up seven strikes (23 per cent).
As for Brentford, Ivan Toney can become the first Bees player since Dave McCulloch in 1937/38 to score at least 20 goals in a top-flight season with one more here!
Hot stat: All four previous meetings between the two coaches, Frank and Lampard, saw both teams score (W1, D2, L1).
