On Thursday (IST), Chelsea and Brentford will face off in a West London derby at Stamford Bridge, both struggling to maintain form in the Premier League. Although Brentford has been unable to secure a victory this April, Chelsea’s performance has also been less than impressive, with caretaker boss Frank Lampard still searching for their first win under his leadership.
With four losses and just one goal scored in four games, the management hoped for a better impact from Lampard. With seven fixtures remaining in the Premier League, Chelsea is seeking to salvage a positive outcome from a disappointing 2022-23 season.
Despite their recent 1-1 draw at home to Aston Villa, which almost resulted in a win, Brentford have now gone six games without a league victory.
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Chelsea–Brentford match preview
Chelsea’s chances of Europe qualification are slim, as they sit 11th in the Premier League table, far behind the top four by 20 points and 11 behind the top seven. The priority for manager Frank Lampard, is to guide them to a top-half finish, which would be an improvement on their worst league finish in 27 years, when they came 11th in the 1995-96 season.
Chelsea has only scored 30 goals in the Premier League this season, which is fewer than four other teams, three of which are in the relegation zone. They enter their Thursday (IST) match against Brentford having previously drawn 0-0 against them in October.
Although Brentford has failed to win any of the last four games in which they have scored first, they are still on course for their highest-ever Premier League finish. They are currently in 10th place, seven points behind seventh-placed Liverpool, who have a game in hand. They will be hoping to consolidate their position in the top half of the table with a win over Chelsea.
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Brentford has won only three of their 16 away games this season, but they will take heart from their 4-1 victory over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge last season. Winning against Chelsea would give Brentford a confidence boost ahead of their next match against league leaders Arsenal.
Chelsea possible starting lineup:
Kepa; Azpilicueta, W. Fofana, Silva, Chilwell; Kante, Fernandez, Kovacic; Mudryk, Felix, Sterling
Brentford possible starting lineup:
Raya; Hickey, Mee, Pinnock, Henry; Jensen, Janelt, Dasilva; Mbeumo, Toney, Damsgaard
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Chelsea-Brentford prediction
This season has been a challenging one for Chelsea, and they require a carefully executed transition to improve their situation. Joao Felix and Enzo Fernandez have displayed glimpses of their abilities this campaign and must raise their performances for this upcoming game.
Brentford hasn’t been in great form lately, having surrendered a crucial lead to Aston Villa. Both teams have certain concerns to resolve, and it’s possible that they could end up with a draw in this game.
Prediction: Chelsea 1-1 Brentford
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Date, kick-off time, venue
Chelsea and Brentford will compete against each other in the English Premier League at Stamford Bridge on April 26, at 12:15 am (IST).
