Having already experienced both domestic cups with Chelsea, Liam Rosenior begins his Premier League managerial career with a West London derby against Brentford at Stamford Bridge.
Rosenior’s move from Strasbourg in Ligue 1 triggered a lot of scepticism from Chelsea supporters but he began with an emphatic 5-1 defeat of Championship side Charlton, albeit that was followed by a 3-2 loss at home to Arsenal in the first-leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final.
Brentford have perhaps been the surprise package in the Premier League this season as the Bees mount a surprise bid for European football. Their 2-0 defeat of Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough last week extended their unbeaten run to six matches.
Can Rosenior get a much-needed league win for Chelsea or will Brentford bloody their nose at the Bridge? AllSportsPeople brings you all the latest tips and odds for this Saturday clash, as well as a trio of enhanced offers for the Manchester derby.
Chelsea vs. Brentford: Who Will Win?
We find it really hard to split these two sides, which probably reflects more favourably on Brentford than big-spending Chelsea.
Liam Rosenior’s style of football with Hull City and Derby County was quite deliberate but it remains to be seen how he will set up the Blues once he gets more of his first choice players back.
Despite mixed results against Charlton and Arsenal, it has been a goal-laden start to his Chelsea career, while Brentford attack with such speed and directness they are usually good for a goal or two.
Score Prediction: Chelsea 2-2 Brentford (14/1 with Bet365)
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Head-to-Head: Chelsea vs. Brentford
- The most recent outing between these two came back in September with the two sides sharing a 2-2 draw at the Gtech Community Stadium.
- Chelsea have found it difficult against their local rivals with, quite surprisingly, just one win in their last eight clashes between the two sides.
- Overall, there have been 24 meetings between Chelsea and Brentford with Chelsea coming out on top in 11 games and Brentford winning on seven occasions.
Chelsea vs. Brentford: Form Guide
Chelsea – Last 5 matches (All competitions)
- Chelsea 2-3 Arsenal (EFL Cup)
- Charlton Athletic 1-5 Chelsea (FA Cup)
- Fulham 2-1 Chelsea (Premier League)
- Manchester City 1-1 Chelsea (Premier League)
- Chelsea 2-2 AFC Bournemouth (Premier League)
Brentford – Last 5 matches (All competitions)
- Sheffield Wednesday 0-2 Brentford (FA Cup)
- Brentford 3-0 Sunderland (Premier League)
- Everton 2-4 Brentford (Premier League)
- Brentford 0-0 Tottenham Hotspur (Premier League)
- Brentford 4-1 AFC Bournemouth (Premier League)
Chelsea vs. Brentford Betting Tips
Chelsea have won just three of their last 13 matches across all competitions with one of them in the Carabao Cup against League One leaders Cardiff City, one in the FA Cup against second-tier side Charlton and the other at home to an out of form Everton.
Brentford, meanwhile, are in excellent form and Keith Andrews’ side have lifted themselves to just outside of the top four — our prediction is a draw but we'd be happy to be side with the visitors in a double chance bet (23/20 with AK Bets), such is our confidence they won't lose the game!
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Chelsea vs. Brentford Team News
Chelsea Team News
- Liam Rosenior is waiting on the fitness of key men Malo Gusto, Reece James and Cole Palmer, while Liam Delap and Jamie Bynoe-Gittens are both dealing with illness.
- They have some longer term absentees, though, with Levi Colwill sidelined due to an ACL injury and Romeo Lavia still unavailable.
- Rosenior has often preferred a back three in the past but it has been a four with Chelsea thus far, at least without the ball. With the ball, it looks like a three with Josh Acheampong playing as a right-sided centre-back.
Brentford Team News
- Frank Onyeka remains unavailable for the visitors this weekend as the midfielder remains with Nigeria away at the CAF Africa Cup of Nations for the third place playoff.
- Dango Ouattara was given a bit of time off but is expected to be available for this one after he represented Burkina Faso in Morocco at that competition.
- Jordan Henderson is also a key injury doubt for the Bees this weekend, while the likes of Antoni Milambo, Josh Dasilva and Fabio Carvalho are confirmed absentees.
Chelsea vs. Brentford Lineups: Predicted Starting XI’s
This is how we think the two teams will lineup at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, with Alejandro Garnacho earning a start after two goals off the bench against Arsenal.
Chelsea predicted lineup to play Brentford
Sanchez (GK) – Acheampong, Fofana, Chalobah, Cucurella – Santos, Caicedo – Neto, Fernandez, Garnacho - Pedro
- Out: Colwill, Lavia, Mudryk
- Doubtful: Gusto, James, Palmer, Bynoe-Gittens, Delap
- Suspension: N/A
Brentford predicted lineup to play Chelsea
Kelleher (GK) – Kayode, Ajer, Collins, Henry – Yarmolyuk, Janelt – Lewis-Potter, Jensen, Schade – Thiago
- Out: Milambo, Dasilva, Onyeka, Carvalho
- Doubtful: Henderson
- Suspension: N/A
Chelsea vs. Brentford Odds
- Chelsea to win: 8/11 with Betway
- Brentford to win: 7/2 with Bet Victor
- Draw: 310/100 with 10Bet
Bet Builder Tips: Chelsea vs. Brentford
Our bet builder for Chelsea vs. Brentford backs a double chance bet of Brentford to win or draw with both teams to score, Igor Thiago to have over 1.5 shots on target and there to be over 3.5 cards in the game, which came to overall best odds of 17/2 with Bet365 at the time of writing.
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How to Watch Chelsea vs. Brentford: Live Stream, TV Channel
- Date: Saturday, January 17
- Venue: Stamford Bridge, London, England
- Time: 15:00 GMT
- TV/Stream: N/A
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