Chelsea’s Current Form

Chelsea welcome Brentford to Stamford Bridge this weekend, as they look to continue their good form under Mauricio Pochettino. Although they will be disappointed to lose a two goal lead to Arsenal, the performance was impressive and it underlined the progress being made under their new manager. With a tricky fixture list to come, they need three points on Saturday. Brentford have had a mixed start to the season, but they are always a difficult opposition for the top teams, due to their physical style. They will have renewed confidence after their convincing return to winning ways against Burnley.

Due to the level of spending since Clearlake Capital took over the club, Chelsea need to qualify for European competition this season. Ideally, they will get back into the Champions League after a year’s absence. As the league is very strong this season, they will be hoping their competitors do well in Europe to ensure an extra Champions League place is available to English clubs. They are currently eight points off the top four. With tough fixtures to come, they need to win this weekend to stay in touch.

Brentford’s Challenging Season

This is going to be the most difficult Premier League season to date for Brentford. They have missed Ivan Toney due to his gambling ban, while Rico Henry’s serious injury has also damaged the Bees’ tactical set up. Thomas Frank will be pleased with a return of ten points from nine matches, but there is room for improvement. Considering the absence of two key players, a year of consolidation in mid table will be viewed as a positive campaign.

Interesting stats

Chelsea have scored eight goals in their last three Premier League matches. This is more than they managed in their previous nine matches in this league.

Brentford have won at Stamford Bridge in both of their Premier League seasons to date. No away team has won their first three games away to Chelsea in this competition.

Key men

Palmer

It has been an electric start to life as a Chelsea player for Cole Palmer. There was surprise when the transfer happened in the summer, as he was expected to have a long-term future at Manchester City. However, the England Under-21 international was keen to get more first team football and the early signs are that he has made the correct decision. He has already taken over penalty taking duties, which speaks volumes about his confidence as a young player. Palmer has two goals and one assist in his opening few matches at the club. With both strikes coming from the penalty spot, the youngster will be keen to get his first goal from open play this weekend. He has carried a threat in all of his appearances to date and already looks to be secure in the starting eleven. Consistency is the next step for him and a good performance this weekend will help with that.

Mbeumo

The Cameroon international has stepped up in the absence of Ivan Toney. Mbeumo has already scored five times in the Premier League and he is set for his best season to date. Frank will be keen to see him become more creative in the coming weeks, as he is getting a lot of the ball in the final third. There is only one assist to his name to date. Last season, he recorded eight, so there is clearly room for improvement there. Chelsea are improving at the back, but there is still vulnerability in their defence. If Brentford are aggressive and commit bodies forward, they can have some joy. An away win could be reliant on their talisman stepping up.

Team news

There is no change to Chelsea’s injury list this weekend. Christopher Nkunku, Ben Chilwell, Armando Broja, Romeo Lavia, Trevoh Chalobah and Carney Chukwuemeka remain on the sidelines. After coming on as a sub against Arsenal, Reece James could be ready to start.

Aaron Hickey can return after being suspended for the win over Burnley. Keane Lewis-Potter, Mikkel Damsgaard, Josh DaSilva and Shandon Baptiste are all not going to feature until November. Rico Henry and Kevin Schade are long term injury absentees.

Verdict

Chelsea have been slowly improving under Mauricio Pochettino. There have been plenty of setbacks for them already this season, with the loss to Nottingham Forest standing out. They need to improve their home form and this weekend offers a good opportunity. Despite Brentford’s win last weekend, they are a shadow of the side they were last season. The Blues should have enough quality and momentum to get the points.

Chelsea 2-1 Brentford