It is our first Saturday 3pm kick-off since mid-December and the fifth of the season. The Blues have won two and lost two of the previous four in that time slot.

Thomas Frank has had a clear week to rest and prepare his 16th-placed side since Monday, when they were beaten 4-2 at West Ham.

That was the Bees’ fifth loss in seven league outings since the turn of the year, and they have lost four of their last five at the Gtech Stadium.

Mauricio Pochettino’s squad should have a spring in their step after the dramatic 3-2 FA Cup victory over ancient rivals Leeds on Wednesday, with Leicester to come in the quarter-finals.

March has been good to Chelsea over the past three seasons – we are unbeaten across all competitions in that month since a victory over Cardiff in 2019.

Three points from the trip along the Thames could lift the Blues up to ninth with Newcastle and Wolves, the teams immediately above, squaring off at the same time in the north-east.

Chelsea’s last clean sheet on the road in the league was at Fulham in October.

Team news

The return to league action may prompt Mauricio Pochettino to restore some key men who sat out most of Wednesday’s cup success over Leeds. Djordje Petrovic, Ben Chilwell, Levi Colwill, Conor Gallagher and Cole Palmer are among those vying for a start against the Bees.

Palmer, named as Men's Player of the Year at the London Football Awards on Thursday evening, has had a hand in 16 goals over his past 17 Premier League appearances (10 goals, six assists), plus six goals in five London derbies (three goals, three assists).

Gallagher’s dramatic late winner against Leeds took his goal involvement to 10, fuelled by Enzo Fernandez’s first assist of the season.

Nicolas Jackson (fed by Moises Caicedo’s second assist) reached double figures in goals for his debut season against Leeds and his impressive all-round form could see Pochettino giving him the nod against the depleted Bees’ rearguard.

In October’s reverse fixture at the Bridge, Chelsea dominated possession. We forced 10 corners and created plenty of chances, but ultimately fell foul of poor finishing and individual defensive errors. Bryan Mbeumo – injured this weekend – made one and scored the other in that 2-0 loss.

The agonising equaliser at the Etihad last time out in the league was the eighth goal conceded by the Blues in the last quarter-hour of games on the road. Only Sheffield United, Crystal Palace and West Ham (all nine) have sustained more late blows.

The Blues rank sixth best in half-time scorelines away from home but slip to 16th over the second 45 (same as Brentford), conceding almost twice as many goals after the break. However, Wolves at home is the only time this season we have scored first but lost.

Chelsea’s next Premier League penalty conversion will be our 150th in the competition since 1992. Only Aston Villa (none) have conceded fewer spot-kicks this season than Brentford’s one.

Goal contributions in all competitions 2023/24

Opposition scout: Brentford

Brentford paid for some stately defending in a sleepy start to the 4-2 defeat at West Ham and could not find the right final pass often enough when in good attacking positions.

The loss since early December of talismanic forward Bryan Mbeumo is one of seven long-term absences Thomas Frank has had to deal with this season.

The Cameroon international – well acquainted with Chelsea’s net – became the Bees’ focal point during Ivan Toney’s suspension and remains their biggest contributor towards goals.

Skipper Ben Mee’s injury on Monday has compounded defensive concerns, with Aaron Hickey and Ethan Pinnock already unavailable for Frank. That could mean a recall for Irish centre-half Nathan Collins.

Goalkeeper Mark Flekken is an impressive distributor, but does not dominate his area and has the third-lowest ratio for saves per shot on target (64.3 per cent)

The hosts’ midfield armoury includes the bursting runs of Frank Onyeka, Mathias Jensen’s long throws and, since January, Spurs loanee Sergio Reguilon‘s whipped set-plays.

The Bees play the fifth-most long passes in the division towards Toney, who has struck four times in the seven games since his return, and the more abrasive Neal Maupay, whose goal on Monday briefly rattled the Hammers.

Only Sheffield United (36) and Burnley (32) have conceded more home league goals than Saturday’s hosts (27).

The history

Prior to April 2022, generations of west Londoners had supported their respective teams without ever seeing Chelsea lose to Brentford in the top flight. Yet the 2-0 Bees win earlier this season was the third in a row at the Bridge for our opponents.

It is a different story at in Brentford's backyard, where we remain unbeaten in seven fixtures across 86 years since a 1-1 draw on 6 March 1938 thanks to Dickie Foss’ equaliser.

Since Brentford’s arrival in the Premier League in 2021, the Blues have won 1-0 - thanks to a fine Ben Chilwell strike from the edge of the box - and were the better side in last season’s 0-0 stalemate.

Capital gains

Once again, Chelsea have the best points-per-game haul from all-capital clashes this season and will hope to make it five successive wins this weekend.

Although Brentford have won both their west London derbies of this season to date, they have dropped points in six of their nine neighbourly disputes - including a 4-2 loss at West Ham on Monday.

Premier League London derbies

Player number 801

Coming off the bench on Wednesday, midfielder Jimi Tauriainen extended our club record for debutants in one season (apart from 1905/06) to 20. The 19-year-old Finn is the 801st player to don the famous royal blue at first-team level.