For the second consecutive weekend, Chelsea are preparing for a London derby at Stamford Bridge. And club historian Rick Glanvill and club statistician Paul Dutton have covered off everything you need to know ahead of the Bees' visit.
This Saturday's lunchtime kick-off provides Chelsea the opportunity to steal a march on the rest of the Premier League and climb to eighth in the table with a win over Brentford at Stamford Bridge.
Bees tend to be sluggish at this time of year – especially earlier in the day – but our west London neighbours are likely still buzzing from April, when they won this fixture 2-0.
However, the Chelsea that took to the field that day is very different to the one that will emerge from the Stamford Bridge tunnel tomorrow afternoon.
Mauricio Pochettino’s men arrive unbeaten in four matches in all competitions. Confidence is high. Thomas Frank’s men, however, are winless over their last three top-flight fixtures on the road.
The Bees have also taken the lead in six different games this season, the most in the Premier League, but have won only two of them, including the west London derby at Fulham.
Brentford finished last season in the top half of the Premier League table. They are the sixth side we have faced this term in all competitions who achieved that feat. Our record in the previous five is won two, drawn two, lost one.
Meanwhile, the seven points and eight goals recorded by the resurgent Blues in the past three league games is a big improvement on the six points and seven goals taken from the previous nine.
Pochettino will hope this second of three successive all-London affairs, with former club Tottenham to come Monday week, will extend that positive trend.
Team news
The west London derby may come too soon for Trevoh Chalobah and Carney Chukwuemeka. And while Ben Chilwell, Wesley Fofana, Romeo Lavia and Christopher Nkunku are long-term absentees, the injury list is diminishing.
Cole Palmer excelled in his relocation as a false 9 against Arsenal and could retain that role despite the claims of Nico Jackson and Armando Broja.
And with penalties converted in successive league games, Palmer, the Blues’ leading goal contributor, could become only the second Chelsea player – after Willian in July 2020 – to score from the spot in three consecutive appearances.
Alongside the England Under-21s international, no Premier League player has attempted more dribbles than Raheem Sterling’s 52, and only two player combinations have yielded more goals than Malo Gusto assisting the in-form winger. Gusto may hold on to right-back while Reece James returns to match readiness.
More firepower from the bench could provide a welcome boost as the Blues have been much better at both ends of the field prior to the half-time break: seven goals for, three against.
In the second period, they have scored and conceded six apiece. However, none of those goals have come in the final 15 minutes of matches while Chelsea's defence has been breached on three occasions.
It is something Pochettino and his players will have to keep in mind given all the goals Brentford have conceded on the road have come in the last half-hour of matches.
At the opposite end of the pitch, Axel Disasi’s fitness could mean Levi Colwill reverting to the left to deal with the dangerous Bryan Mbeumo.
Disasi’s presence would enhance the Blues’ aerial superiority over the Bees; only Nottingham Forest have conceded more times from set-plays this season than Frank’s side.
Goal contributions 2023/24 (all competitions)
Goals | Assists | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
Cole Palmer | 2 | 2 | 4 |
3 | 0 | 3 | |
Raheem Sterling | 3 | 0 | 3 |
2 | 0 | 2 | |
Conor Gallagher | 0 | 2 | 2 |
Malo Gusto | 0 | 2 | 2 |
Armando Broja | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Carney Chukwuemeka | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Axel Disasi | 1 | 0 | 1 |
1 | 0 | 1 | |
1 | 0 | 1 | |
Ben Chilwell | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Levi Colwill | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Opposition scout – Brentford
Frank must plan without Shandon Baptiste, Mikkel Damsgaard, Josh Dasilva, Rico Henry, Keane Lewis-Potter, Kevin Schade, and the banned Ivan Toney, although Aaron Hickey is back from suspension.
Brentford are well organised, defend well, press high, and are strong on set-pieces. They clear their lines quicker than most and attack directly with crosses and balls in behind the opponent’s defence. Frank, however, is aiming for more passes and control of the ball.
The Toney-less Bees are at their best when exploiting width through their busy, inverted wingers.
Mbeumo, drifting in from the right, was behind most of their best scheming against the ten men of Burnley. The Cameroon international has either scored or assisted half his team’s Premier League tally against Chelsea (three).
Brentford's players are not shy from shooting from distance and only Aston Villa and Brighton have netted more times this season from outside the box.
Hickey’s suspension has meant regular Chelsea tormentor Vitaly Janelt filling in at left-back rather than his usual midfield role. However, Mads Roerslev has not figured so much at right-back since being targeted by Everton’s aerial bombardment. Kristoffer Ajer may start again this weekend.
Chelsea vs Brentford – the history
The first ever west London derby in the Football League was played between Chelsea and Brentford at Stamford Bridge on November 23, 1935.
The Blues came out 2-1 winners and the 2.30pm kick-off was watched by a bumper crowd of 56,624, although the entertainment value was low with the likes of striker Joe Bambrick smothered in the scramble for local honours.
Two of the goals came from penalties: George Robson early on for the Bees, then winger Dickie Spence with the winner. In between, a fumble by visiting keeper Mathieson allowed Alec Cheyne to equalise.
Remarkably, Chelsea’s greatest margin of victory over the Bees in the league is the 2-0 recorded at Griffin Park towards the end of their last stay in the top flight in March 1947.
Premier League London derbies (2023/24)
Matches | Wins | Draws | Losses | Goal difference | Points | Points per match | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Arsenal | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 1.50 |
Brentford | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 1.67 |
Tottenham | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 1.67 |
Chelsea | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1.33 |
West Ham | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
Crystal Palace | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | -1 | 2 | 0.67 |
Fulham | 5 | 0 | 2 | 3 | -7 | 2 | 0.40 |
Trending left
Chelsea’s last five goals, netted by Palmer (two), Sterling, Jackson, and Mudryk, were all dispatched with a left foot.
It’s fashionable: the Blues are one of seven clubs currently favouring the left peg when it comes to finding the net, including three of the top four.
At the close of last season only three top-flight clubs had scored fewer with the right foot than the left.
Draws that hurt you
No club has been involved in more stalemates this season than the Bees’ four, although Chelsea are only one behind on three.
It’s often said a run of draws damages a team, and the mathematics are simple: two draws = two points; one win and one loss = three.
Just two of our 14 league meetings with Brentford have resulted in draws, and neither came at Stamford Bridge. That said, the Blues’ past two Saturday lunchtime kick-offs, at Liverpool and West Ham last season, ended with honours even.
As Chelsea experienced last week against Arsenal – the first time the Blues conceded an equaliser this season – there’s also a psychological factor in not seeing out for a win.
Brentford have taken the lead seven times in nine league games and surrendered the advantage on five occasions - the most in the division and second highest rate behind Sheffield United (two equalisers from two leads).
The Bees are also yet to come back to win when the opposition scored first.
Great Dane’s anniversary
English football’s first overseas star Nils Middelboe, whose height and roving command of midfield earned him the nickname the ‘Great Dane’, joined Chelsea on 31 October 1913, one-hundred-and-ten years ago this Tuesday.
His descendants maintain contact with the club where he made his name over nine years, and his teenage great-great grandson Mads Middelboe-Budde is learning his trade at Lyngby’s development squad in Denmark.