Overview
Chelsea will find a way to return to the winning track in the Premier League when visiting Brentford at Gtech Community Stadium.
Xabi Alonso's team has only won 1 point in the last two rounds. After a 1-2 defeat to Arsenal, Chelsea continued to drop victory when they were held to a 2-2 draw by newcomer Hull City right at home.
Chelsea soon opened the score thanks to Morgan Rogers, but Mohamed Belloumi quickly scored a double to help Hull take the lead. Joao Pedro then spoke up in the second half to bring the home team back from a difficult position.
The Brazilian striker is Chelsea's biggest highlight. Joao Pedro has directly participated in 6 Premier League goals this season, including 3 goals and 3 assists, the most in the league. Since the beginning of last season, he has also been the player with the most matches scoring goals and assisting in the Premier League with 6 times.
Attacking power helps Chelsea create many impressions, but the defense is still a problem that makes Alonso have a headache. The Blues have conceded 21 goals in the last 26 away matches in the Premier League, only Crystal Palace conceded more goals in the same period.
Away form is also a concern. Chelsea has only won 1 of their last 6 away matches in the Premier League, making the away match against Brentford a major test.
Brentford entered the confrontation with Chelsea with high confidence. Under Keith Andrews, this team is on a 6-match unbeaten streak. Brentford has only maintained a longer unbeaten streak twice in the Premier League, including 7 matches in September 2023 and 12 matches in March 2023.
Mamadou Sangare quickly became a noteworthy factor since moving from Lens. This midfielder made 127 high-intensity pressure situations in his own half in the Premier League this season, second only to 3 players. He also ranked fourth in fouls and fifth in tackles.
Chelsea expects Moises Caicedo's return after a calf injury to help them control the midfield better. However, the possibility of the Ecuadorian midfielder playing as a starter remains open. Emmanuel Emegha and Jordan Henderson are also having fitness problems.
Brentford just defeated Reading 2-1 at the Carabao Cup. Andrews made up to 8 changes in the starting lineup, giving opportunities to many reserve players. Callum Wilson and Fabio Carvalho took good advantage of the opportunity when both scored.
However, Brentford is likely to return to their familiar squad in the reception of Chelsea. Joshua Dasilva, Antoni Milambo, Nathan Collins, Sepp van den Berg and Mathias Jensen are predicted to be absent.
Head-to-head record
Chelsea have lost 3 of their first 5 matches against Brentford in the Premier League, but they are maintaining a 5-match unbeaten streak against this opponent, including 2 wins and 3 draws.
In the previous season's encounter at Gtech Community Stadium, Brentford opened the score thanks to Kevin Schade. Chelsea then came back with goals from Cole Palmer and Moises Caicedo, but Fabio Carvalho scored in injury time to seal the draw.
Score prediction: Brentford 2-2 Chelsea
The match between Brentford and Chelsea takes place at 2:00 AM on September 19 (Vietnam time).
