Chelsea will aim to continue their push for Champions League qualification when they face Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium on Sunday. Heading into matchday 31, Chelsea are in fourth place, while Brentford sit in 11th.
Match Preview
Brentford’s five-game away winning streak was halted on Wednesday when they suffered a 2-1 defeat to Newcastle United at St James’ Park. Despite Bryan Mbeumo’s equalizer from the penalty spot, Brentford fell behind again to a Sandro Tonali goal, making it their fourth consecutive loss away to Newcastle. With the Bees now three points adrift of the top half, they know they need a remarkable run of results in their remaining matches if they are to push for a European spot.
Brentford’s recent form at home has been concerning, as they have failed to win any of their last seven Premier League home matches since defeating Newcastle 4-2 in December. In fact, they are the only Premier League side yet to keep a clean sheet at home this season, with their last top-flight shutout coming in May 2024 against Fulham. Despite these struggles, Brentford will be keen to put things right at home, where they have not won against Chelsea in 87 years.
Chelsea, on the other hand, are in a strong position after returning from the international break with a 1-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur. Enzo Fernandez’s first Premier League goal since December sealed the victory, lifting Chelsea to fourth in the table. While a top-five finish will likely secure Champions League qualification, Chelsea are more focused on maintaining their lead over sixth-placed Newcastle United, rather than worrying about a one-point gap to fifth-placed Manchester City.
Despite their strong home form, Chelsea’s away performances have been poor, with only two points from their last seven Premier League away matches. Their recent form on the road has been troubling, as they have lost their last four away games. A fifth consecutive away loss would mark Chelsea’s worst run of top-flight away defeats since 2000. However, Chelsea will be hopeful of continuing their unbeaten run against Brentford, as they have not lost in their last seven away games at the Gtech Community Stadium, although they have drawn their last two visits.
Brentford Premier League Form: WWDLWL
Chelsea Premier League Form: LLWWLW
Chelsea Form (All Competitions): WWWWLW
Team News
Brentford have a few injury concerns heading into Sunday’s match. Fabio Carvalho is out for the rest of the season following shoulder surgery, while Josh Dasilva and Igor Thiago remain sidelined with knee injuries. Aaron Hickey and Gustavo Nunes are both working their way back to full fitness and are not yet ready for first-team action, although they recently featured for Brentford’s B team. On a positive note, Rico Henry is in contention to return after recovering from a hamstring injury. Midfielder Mathias Jensen is expected to be named on the bench after recovering from an illness that kept him out of the last two matches.
For Chelsea, manager Enzo Maresca confirmed that defender Wesley Fofana and midfielder Romeo Lavia have picked up muscle injuries. Lavia is expected to return to action sooner than Fofana. Chelsea will also be without Omari Kellyman, who is out for the season with a hamstring issue, and Mykhaylo Mudryk, who is serving a provisional suspension following a positive test for a banned substance. Reece James should return to the starting lineup after only featuring for the final stages of Thursday’s win over Tottenham, and there may be a place for Noni Madueke, who made his comeback from injury in that match.
Brentford Possible Starting Lineup:
Flekken; Van den Berg, Collins, Pinnock, Lewis-Potter; Norgaard, Janelt; Mbeumo, Damsgaard, Schade; Wissa
Chelsea Possible Starting Lineup:
Sanchez; James, Chalobah, Colwill, Cucurella; Caicedo, Fernandez; Madueke, Palmer, Neto; Jackson
Both teams will be looking to bounce back after disappointing recent results, with Chelsea looking to maintain their Champions League aspirations and Brentford hoping to turn around their home form. This promises to be a closely contested match.
