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Dreadful Chelsea aiming to claim first win under Lampard as they host Brentford
Chelsea 1-1 Brentford
Tournament: Premier League 2022-2023 | Venue: London, Stamford Bridge
Bet NowChelsea have suffered another poor week in what has been a season to forget for the club. Defeat to Real Madrid in the Champions League was followed by the news that Reece James is out for the season.
Their right full-back is one of their better players and is a sign that they just can’t catch any luck right now.
Talk of a new manager has progressed too, with Mauricio Pochettino now the heavy favourite to be appointed in the near future. It can’t come soon enough with Frank Lampard not suitable for the long term.
Brentford’s form has completely died off, which is shame considering how fantastic they have been to watch this season.
The west London club haven’t won a game since the start of March, while their once-praised unbeaten run has long gone.
A win could lift them up to 9th in the league, but Thomas Frank would settle for a strong performance.
Reasons to be cheerful:
Talk of a new manager may lift the players
London derby should provide motivation to improve performance
Reasons to be fearful:
No wins from their last seven in all competitions
Winless in their last two against Brentford
On the pitch, things can’t get a whole lot worse for Chelsea, although we’ve said that multiple times already this season.
Reece James and Mason Mount won’t play again this season due to injury, while Kai Havertz has a knee injury that’ll keep him out here.
Off the field, the appointment of a new manager edges closer, which can’t come soon enough for these players, who need all the motivation and good news they can get.
Chelsea have too many good players to go too much longer without victory, though do they have enough to see off Brentford here?
Star Man – Enzo Fernandez
Despite Chelsea’s ongoing struggles across the pitch, you can’t fault the willingness of £105m signing Fernandez to get on the ball. He’s completed 762 passes – a league high – since his signing.
Reasons to be cheerful
Beat Chelsea 4-1 at Stamford Bridge last season
Still a great side despite recent struggles
Reasons to be fearful
Christian Norgaard misses out through injury
Winless in six league games
Brentford’s manager Thomas Frank will be keen for his side to finish the season strongly, despite now being likely to miss out on European qualification for next season.
While they could still technically finish in the top six or seven positions, it would take a massive turnaround with only six games remaining.
After going 12 games without defeat, Brentford have now lost four of their last eight. Their strong home form has deserted them to an extent, while they’ve lost two of their last three on the road.
Here, Christian Norgaard will miss out through injury, but Frank will expect his team to match Chelsea across the pitch and cause them problems.
Star Man – Ivan Toney
Has 19 league goals for the season and is likely to finish 3rd in that particular list, behind Haaland and Kane. He could be the first Bees player to score 20 in a top-division season.
Possession evenly shared
Toney and Mbeumo to cause problems
Where will Chelsea’s goals come from?
Chelsea have only scored 30 goals this season from their 31 games, their lowest at this stage since the 1920s. It’s a dreadful statistic for a top six club and they’ll be without Kai Havertz here.
It’ll probably be Joao Felix to lead the line for the Blues, although the Portugal international hasn’t set the world alight since his loan move.
Brentford have one of the best strikers in the league in Ivan Toney, but can’t seem to find the same intensity in recent weeks.
A draw is on the cards for those reasons.
Chelsea 1-1 Brentford
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