Game Week 4 Predictions: Straight win Chelsea against Brentford

Chelsea visit Brentford aiming to stay near the top after a strong start, while the Bees seek revival following key departures and a poor opening run.

Brentford will have a lot to deal with when Chelsea comes to town but, can they earn something against the world champions? (Photo credit: KHEL)

 Brentford vs Chelsea

G-Tech Stadium

8:00pm

It’s a late fixture on Saturday for world champions Chelsea as they face Brentford, who must find solutions to their poor start to the season, which has seen them lose two from three already.

Chelsea is looking like one of the certain contenders this season, with the Blues second on the log on seven points with two wins and a draw. Everyone expects them to win this one; it would only be a question of how many goals Chelsea would score.

Brentford lost quite a few important figures, including manager Thomas Frank, who has moved to Spurs, and the duo of Bryan Mbeumo and Yoan Wissa, who both scored 39 goals combined; Django Ouattara comes in to cushion the effect, but is he enough?

Joao Pedro is leading the way for goals, and Chelsea has exciting young talents who can make things happen in split seconds; this gives manager Enzo Maresca something to be excited about. Are they genuine title contenders this season?

This game isn’t one to decide anything, but Chelsea wants to stay close to the top, if not on top of the log, so we expect them to try to score as many as possible in this one, while Brentford can spring surprises when you least expect them to.

Brentford has averaged 38% possession this season, while Chelsea has averaged 62%; this tells us that the Blues will see more of the ball, and with tougher fixtures against City, United and Fulham coming, it’s tough to see where the points will come for the Bees.

Chelsea could have some issues with players returning from international break. Joao Pedro and Estevao both featured for Brazil and didn’t return until Thursday and only trained on Friday; this could need some late decision from the manager.

Cole Palmer trained on Thursday and would need some late fitness tests to determine if he’s good to go, while Alejandro Garnacho isn’t expected to start, but he’s in line for his debut on Saturday. Romeo Lavia and Benoit Badiashile are both fit and could feature at some points.

Brentford is a different kind of challenge to Chelsea, not the biggest but a potential banana peel, especially with the Bees under less pressure and playing at home. Chelsea cannot take anything for granted here; they must go for it from the blast of the whistle and deliver the goods.

Verdict: Chelsea to win