Match Preview: Chelsea v Brentford

Brentford Visits Chelsea At Stamford Bridge Sunday

Insight, updates on the team, details about the referees, and additional information. Here’s all the essential info you need before the match.

"Stephen Gillett: Premier League's Top Attacks Shine"

The upcoming match between Brentford and Chelsea is set to be an exciting one, as it features the Bees taking on the only team that has netted more goals than them in the Premier League this season.

Since their promotion to the Premier League in 2021, Thomas Frank's team has won every match at Stamford Bridge. However, Chelsea is currently in second place in the standings and has been building momentum this season under the management of former Leicester City coach Enzo Maresca.

Chelsea has netted 35 goals so far this season, making them the highest-scoring team in the Premier League. Similar to Brentford this season, they have been incredibly effective during open-play scenarios.

The Blues have netted 27 goals, which accounts for 77 percent of their total, coming from active play situations. Right now, they are the only team in the top division that has scored more in this context than Brentford, who have a total of 24 goals.

Even though there has been a lot of coverage on Cole Palmer, it’s still valuable to dedicate a bit more space to the undeniable mastermind behind Chelsea's offensive strategy.

With a hilariously bold panenka penalty during his team's thrilling 4-3 victory over Tottenham last weekend, Palmer marked his 50th goal contribution in the Premier League for Chelsea. The 22-year-old has been outstanding since joining the club from Manchester City at the beginning of last season.

Palmer's impressive tally over the last 50 matches includes 33 goals and 17 assists, making him the most effective player in the Premier League since joining Chelsea. This is no small feat, especially considering that he outperforms notable players like Mo Salah, who has 31 goals and 18 assists, and Erling Haaland, who has scored 40 goals but only has six assists.

Palmer reminds us of the classic playmakers from the past, as his talent for turning challenging situations into effortless plays sets him apart as a remarkable player.

While listed as a forward on paper, Palmer has the ability to track back and deliver precise passes, currently topping the league with 40 key passes. He can also make quick runs into space to create scoring opportunities for himself. This Sunday, Brentford will face the challenge of keeping him under control.

Brentford's coach, Frank, will surely remind his team that they have plenty of skills and talents to create significant challenges for Chelsea.

Bryan Mbeumo, who has scored nine goals and provided two assists, along with Yoane Wissa, who has also netted nine goals but with just one assist, have both reached double digits in goal contributions this season following last weekend’s 4-2 victory against Newcastle. Chelsea will need to work hard to keep them under control.

Brentford has enjoyed a strong start to the season thanks to their ability to create excellent scoring opportunities and their efficient finishing. Mbeumo and Wissa have stood out as the team's top performers. Impressively, both players have a goals-to-shots-on-target ratio of 0.67, indicating that 67% of the shots they’ve taken that were on target have resulted in goals.

With the strong offensive capabilities of both teams, it's likely there will be plenty of goals on Sunday. What will be interesting to watch is how Maresca and Frank strategize to neutralize their opponents' strengths while taking advantage of any weaknesses they may have.

Dan Long: Maresca Leads Chelsea To Success

Last season, things began to feel somewhat normal again at Stamford Bridge.

After finishing in the somewhat obscure position of 12th place for the 2022/23 season, Chelsea, managed by Mauricio Pochettino, significantly improved their performance. Despite spending a lot of time hovering around the middle of the table, they only lost one of their final 15 Premier League matches. This strong finish allowed them to claim sixth place and earn a spot in European competitions once again after experiencing a rare season without it.

Led by rising star Cole Palmer, the team made it to the semi-finals of the FA Cup and advanced to the final of the Carabao Cup as well.

Pochettino expressed optimism after the last match against Bournemouth, stating, "Next season, they'll be much improved. They'll have a year's worth of challenging experience under their belts. This is the benefit of maintaining stability and consistency, rather than making frequent changes."

As the season came to a close, there was a lot of talk regarding the Argentine's future, fueled by whispers of internal conflicts. On May 21, it was officially revealed that he would be leaving the club by mutual agreement. Following Graham Potter, he became the second manager for the Blues to hold the position for less than a year.

Just two weeks after guiding Leicester to promotion, Enzo Maresca took over his position. The club's ownership praised him as an exceptionally talented coach and leader, expressing confidence that he could help achieve their vision and competitive ambitions. They awarded the Italian a five-year contract.

The transfer of local star Conor Gallagher to Atlético Madrid wasn’t well received, and neither was the sidelining of Raheem Sterling. However, Maresca prefers to manage with a much smaller roster than Chelsea is accustomed to, and he wasted no time in implementing the changes he felt were needed. As a result, the club's net expenditure was approximately £30 million, even amidst significant activity in the transfer market.

What has transpired since then has proved that Pochettino's foresight was spot on.

Let's kick things off with the Conference League. Maresca has frequently changed his lineup in European matches, allowing players such as Renato Veiga, Mykhailo Mudryk, and João Félix to showcase their talents. Even the backup players are significantly more skilled than what this competition demands.

They have triumphed in all four of their matches to date, netting a total of 18 goals while allowing just three. Notably, eight of those goals were scored in their overwhelming 8-0 victory against the Armenian team Noah, which established a new record for the largest win in the history of the competition.

They may have been eliminated from the Carabao Cup, but they feel optimistic about advancing in the FA Cup, especially since they will be playing against Morecambe, a team struggling at the bottom of League Two, in the third round next month.

Let's talk about the Premier League. Lately, Maresca has been quite open about his views, stating that he doesn’t think his team is in contention for the title. When asked about this repeatedly, he emphasizes that established teams like Liverpool, Arsenal, and Manchester City have greater experience compared to his newly formed squad.

However, sitting in second place in the standings, sharing the top spot for goals scored and boasting the third-best defense along with Nottingham Forest as the weekend approaches, it's hard for even the most casual observer to argue otherwise. Achieving such a strong record near the halfway mark of the season deserves recognition.

It could be a psychological strategy by Maresca to reduce stress, but despite being a former assistant to Pep Guardiola, he doesn't really strike me as that kind of person. It doesn't seem like there's any pressure from within the team either; if they continue following their current approach, success will eventually follow.

If it’s not the Premier League, winning a domestic or European title would definitely boost Maresca’s reputation. Securing the Conference League, which they're favored to win, would certainly achieve that.

However, it's debatable that the most significant achievement up to this point is the fact that Blues fans are joyfully singing, "We’ve got our Chelsea back."

Enzo Maresca developed his skills in the youth systems of AC Milan and Cagliari in Italy before starting his professional career in 1998 with West Bromwich Albion.

Following a year and a half at the Hawthorns, the midfielder joined Juventus. However, during his four years with the team, he only appeared in 37 league matches, and he also had loan spells at Bologna and Piacenza.

Maresca, who has represented Italy’s Under-21 team 15 times, later played for Fiorentina before moving to Sevilla in 2005. It was during his time in Spain that he enjoyed the peak of his career. Over four years, he secured two UEFA Cup titles, along with victories in the Copa del Rey, the Spanish Super Cup, and the Super Cup.

After his time at various clubs, he played for Olympiacos, Malaga, Sampdoria, Palermo, and Hellas Verona. He decided to retire from professional football on his 37th birthday in February 2017. Just four months later, he took on the role of assistant coach at Ascoli.

Just under a year into his role as the manager of Manchester City's Elite Development Squad, Maresca was recruited by Parma in May 2021. Unfortunately, he only oversaw 14 matches as head coach before being let go. He subsequently returned to City to serve as Pep Guardiola's assistant but left again a year later to become the head coach at Leicester.

In June 2024, following his successful campaign with the Foxes that secured the Championship title, he was named as Mauricio Pochettino's replacement at Chelsea, signing a five-year deal.

Join Bobby Vincent At Football.london

Bobby Vincent, a Chelsea journalist at football.london, discusses the potential need for the team to make adjustments to their lineup ahead of the match against Brentford on Sunday.

"In the previous two matches in the Premier League, Moisés Caicedo has begun the game as a right-back, but he transitions to a central position when Chelsea has the ball," Vincent remarked.

This shift places the Blues in a formation resembling a back three, with Caicedo, Enzo Fernández, and Roméo Lavia positioned in the center.

It seems that Lavia may be sidelined due to injury for the weekend, so we might see Malo Gusto stepping into the Caicedo position instead.

Most recent Premier League lineup against Tottenham (4-2-3-1): Sánchez; Caicedo, Badiaschile, Colwill, Cucurella; Lavia, Fernández; Neto, Palmer, Sancho; Jackson.

Check out our complete interview with Bobby Vincent here.

Frank Provides Injury Update

Brentford's head coach, Thomas Frank, shared some encouraging news about Kristoffer Ajer and Vitaly Janelt as the Bees prepare for their match against Chelsea this Sunday. However, midfielder Mathias Jensen will be unavailable for the trip to Stamford Bridge.

"Frank mentioned that everyone who played in the last match will be ready to go. He added that Vitaly Janelt is set to join the team for tomorrow's game, which is encouraging news."

Regarding Ajer, he mentioned, "He was sitting on the bench, so he's prepared and ready to begin."

"Unfortunately, Jensen won't be ready for a couple more weeks, which is disappointing since he's a key player for the team. Fortunately, others have been rising to the occasion, such as Yarmoliuk's performance against Newcastle."

Bankes To Officiate Bees Game This Term

Supporting Team: Ian Hussin and Nick Greenhalgh

Assistant Referee: Rob Jones

Video Assistant Referee: Matt Donohue

Peter Bankes will referee his first Brentford match of the season this Sunday during their Premier League game against Chelsea.

Bankes officiated two matches involving the Bees last season: a 1-1 draw against Crystal Palace at the Gtech Community Stadium and a 2-1 defeat to Brighton.

So far this season, he has officiated eight matches in the Premier League, one in the Championship, and two in the Carabao Cup. During these games, he has shown 47 yellow cards and issued one red card.

"Last Season's Fixture"

Chelsea Falls To Brentford 0-2 In Premier League

Brentford made history by becoming the first team to secure wins in their initial three Premier League matches at Stamford Bridge, achieving a 2-0 triumph over Chelsea.

Ethan Pinnock scored with a strong header in the 58th minute after Bryan Mbeumo lifted the ball to the far post.

Goalkeeper Robert Sánchez joined his teammates in the attack during a late corner kick. After Neal Maupay sprinted into Chelsea's half, he found Mbeumo, who calmly scored into an unguarded net.