Chelsea travel to Brentford on Friday night for a difficult west London derby, with Xabi Alonso’s side looking to return to winning ways after taking just one point from their last two Premier League games.
The Blues have shown plenty of attacking quality in the opening weeks of the season, but their defensive record remains a concern.
Brentford, meanwhile, have made a solid unbeaten start and should provide a stern test at the Gtech Community Stadium.
Odds provided by Sporting Bet.
Brentford to make Chelsea work
Brentford have taken six points from their opening four league matches and remain unbeaten, following a 3-0 win over Tottenham and draws against Leeds, Sunderland and Bournemouth.
They also progressed in the Carabao Cup this week.
Keith Andrews’ side have scored 15 goals in all competitions this season, while their aggressive approach has made them particularly dangerous inside the opposition box.
Brentford are averaging 17 shots per 90 minutes in the Premier League, while they lead the division for shots from set-pieces.
Chelsea have been similarly productive going forward.
Their four Premier League matches have produced 19 goals, with the Blues scoring 10 and conceding nine.
Cole Palmer, João Pedro and Morgan Rogers have quickly developed into a dangerous attacking combination, although Pedro’s fitness is now a concern after he withdrew from Brazil’s squad with an unspecified injury.
Chelsea’s defensive issues are harder to ignore. They have conceded in every league game and have allowed opponents to remain competitive even when their own attack has been functioning well.
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Team news and predicted line-ups
Brentford have several absences, with Nathan Collins, Joshua Dasilva, Antoni Milambo and Sepp van den Berg among those expected to miss out. Mathias Jensen is also a doubt.
Predicted Brentford XI: Kelleher; Kayode, Schuster, Ajer, Lewis-Potter; Sangaré, Janelt; Anthony, Yarmoliuk, Schade; Thiago.
Chelsea could welcome back Moisés Caicedo and Reece James, although both remain fitness concerns.
Jordan Henderson is also being assessed, while Pedro’s availability is being monitored.
Predicted Chelsea XI: Martínez; Gusto, Lacroix, Colwill, Hato; James, Lavia; Neto, Palmer, Rogers; Pedro.
Goals look the obvious angle
The market is heavily leaning towards goals, with Over 2.5 priced at 1.46 and BTTS Yes at just 1.41.
There’s good reason for that.
Chelsea’s goalscoring exploits so far this season and Brentford’s attacking numbers suggest they should create opportunities of their own.
Opta gives Chelsea a 40.3% chance of winning compared with 35.4% for Brentford, highlighting how little separates the sides despite Chelsea being favourites.
The more interesting result market is therefore the draw at 3.75, particularly given Brentford’s consistency and Chelsea’s defensive vulnerabilities.
Brentford vs Chelsea prediction
Chelsea have the greater attacking ceiling, but this looks like one of the tougher away fixtures they will face in the opening part of the campaign.
Brentford are organised, aggressive and capable of exploiting Chelsea’s defensive weaknesses, while the visitors should still carry enough attacking threat to score more than once.
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