A West London derby awaits as Chelsea travel to Brentford looking to climb the table in the race for the European places. The hosts desperately need three points as they try and separate themselves from the bottom three.
- Date: 02/03/24
- Kick-off time: 15:00
- Venue: Gtech Community Stadium
This will be Chelsea’s first Premier League fixture in two weeks, following their Carabao Cup final defeat against Liverpool last Sunday. Consequently, it has meant they have fallen to 11th in the table as a result of the weekend’s fixtures. A victory against Brentford would allow them to keep pace with the sides above them and remain in the hunt for a European spot. However, a defeat would leave them facing an uphill battle, falling behind the rest of the chasing pack.
Brentford, in contrast, are hovering dangerously close to the relegation zone. Five defeats in their last six games has left them just five points above Luton in 18th. They currently sit in 16th and there is a lot of congestion in that area of the table. Three points this weekend would go a long way in securing Premier League survival and could mean they can look forward rather than nervously over their shoulders. Leaving with no points would put them in a very precarious position as we enter an important stage of the campaign.
Thomas Frank’s side have kept just one clean sheet in 16 league games, highlighting their struggles at the back. Similarly, Mauricio Pochettino’s team have kept just two in the same number of games. The Blues’ away form has vastly improved, as they have picked up four points in their last two whilst booking their place in the fifth round of the FA Cup with a 3-1 win at Aston Villa. There should be goals in this game, and the visitors will look to both Nicolas Jackson and Cole Palmer to provide them. Conor Gallagher will also hope to continue his good goalscoring form after netting four in five. Ivan Toney will be the main threat for the hosts, he has scored four goals in six games following his return in January.
Since Brentford’s promotion in 2021, they have faced Chelsea a total of five times in the Premier League, with a further meeting in the League Cup. The Bees actually have an excellent record against their West London rivals, winning three games and losing one. Chelsea won the League Cup tie 2-0 away from home as well as the first league meeting in which Ben Chilwell scored the winner on the stroke of half-time. Ever since, it has been domination by Brentford. In the four subsequent games, they have scored eight goals and conceded only one. This includes a 4-1 win at Stamford Bridge.
The reverse fixture at the Bridge earlier this season ended in the visitor’s favour, as Ethan Pinnock and Bryan Mbeumo scored second-half goals to upset Pochettino’s side.
Premier League 
