Chelsea are starting to build a real head of steam under new boss Graham Potter and their hard-fought 2-0 triumph over Aston Villa on Sunday pushed their winning streak to five games in all competitions. This evening, Potter takes his improving side four miles down the road for a West London Derby against Brentford in what could be a tricky test for the Blues.
We’ve compiled a ton of useful info on shots, cards, corners, xG and more for this evening’s game and presented it in a stats pack below that should help you to pick better bet builders for the match in Brentford. I’ve also got a Stats Pack Guide to aid your endeavours. Good luck and remember to gamble responsibly!
Predicted Lineups
Christian Norgaard and Pontus Jansson are still out injured for Brentford as are Thomas Strakosha and Scottish full-back Aaron Hickey.
This evening, Thomas Frank could choose to stick with the majority of the XI that performed so well in last Friday’s victory over Brighton (2-0).
Wesley Fofana, N’Golo Kante and Reece James are all absent for Chelsea, with James expected to miss up to four months following surgery on a hamstring issue.
Hakim Ziyech is struggling to recover from an illness and could miss out again here. Thiago Silva is a slight doubt after he felt some tightness in his hamstring at the weekend.
Team Stats
Brentford’s impressive 2-0 win over Brighton last week catapulted the Bees into the top half of the Premier League table, though some of their underlying stats for the campaign so far draw attention for the wrong reasons.
Despite netting 1.80 goals per 90, Brentford’s xG for (1.46) is lower than their xG against (1.77), while Thomas Frank’s side have also been conceding more shots (14.80) than they’ve been racking up at the right end (10.80).
Chelsea’s numbers have been improving under Graham Potter, though they were a little fortunate to escape Villa Park with a clean sheet and possibly three points last week when the Villains posted 2.45 xG to the Blues’ 1.24.
Chelsea collected three bookings against Villa and they’ve been picking up 2.67 cards per 90 overall this term. The Blues’ players have been carded 14 times in six assignments since Potter took the reins.
Player Shots and Shots on Target
Michael Damsgaard’s numbers look impressive before you realise that he’s only started one league match for Brentford, while Yoane Wissa (2.40 shots p/90) and Keane Lewis-Potter (2.55 shots p/90) have also been low on league starts for the Bees.
Ivan Toney (2.40 shots p/90) and Bryan Mbuemo (2.15 shots p/90) are far more reliable in the shooting department. They mustered three efforts between them against Brighton last week and four between them in the Bees’ previous fixture against Newcastle.
Kai Havertz has been testing keepers with one shot on target per 90 this season for Chelsea, which makes him the Blues’ most accurate finisher so far. The German only managed one strike against Villa last week, though Mason Mount and Raheem Sterling posted three attempts each.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang didn’t manage a single effort on goal before he was withdrawn just before the hour mark at Villa Park, and players like Sterling (2.21 shots p/90) and Mount (2.53 shots p/90) perhaps represent better options here from slightly deeper positions this evening.
Player Goals and Assists
Ivan Toney took his tally for the campaign up to eight goals with his match-winning brace against Brighton last Friday and the World Cup hopeful has also chipped in with two assists this term.
Behind Toney, there is a clutch of players on two goals each for the Bees, while Mathias Jensen is tied at the top of the assists chart with Toney. Frank Onyeka claimed a first assist of the season when he set up Toney for his opener against Albion last time out.
Mason Mount broke his duck for the campaign with a well-taken double at Aston Villa on Sunday and the England schemer has four goal contributions (2G, 2A) overall this term.
Chelsea’s 15 Premier League goals this season have been shared by 11 different scorers and few teams in the division can hurt opponents in such a variety of ways. Interestingly, Chelsea scored four times across three meetings with Brentford last term and their goals came via two defenders, one penalty and one own goal.
Brentford Cards
Ivan Toney was booked for the third game in a row when he picked up a yellow against Brighton last week and the combative frontman has been cautioned four times in total since the summer.
In midfield, Mathias Jensen (1.06 fouls p/90) has a steely side to his character, while Frank Onyeka, who has been booked once in two starts in league and cup for the Bees, could be worth keeping an eye on this evening. The Nigerian committed two fouls on his first Premier League start of the campaign last week.
Jorginho (fouled 2.83 times per/90) sets the tempo for Chelsea at the base of their midfield and Ivan Toney will be under instruction to ruffle his feathers when Brentford are out of possession. There could be card potential in there.
In the same midfield skirmish, Ruben Loftus-Cheek (fouled 2.50) could be targeted by Mathias Jensen, while tough-tackling Frank Onyeka will have his eyes on Mason Mount (fouled 2.25 times p/90), especially after the latter’s goal-scoring performance against Aston Villa.
Match-Ups to watch
Ivan Toney vs Jorginho
Mathias Jensen vs Ruben Loftus-Cheek
Frank Onyeka vs Mason Mount
Chelsea Cards
Kalidou Koulibaly picked up his fourth card of the campaign when he was collared by the officials at Villa Park on Sunday and the ex-Napoli star could be put through the wringer by Ivan Toney later today.
Marc Cucurella (two cards) has been redeployed as a left-sided centre-half in recent weeks and the Spaniard looked very uncomfortable in that position against the pace of Leon Bailly at the weekend.
With Reece James sidelined, veteran Cezar Azpilicueta (one card) could slot in at right-wing back this evening. The 33-year-old has only started one Premier League fixture since August and ring rust could be a factor against Brentford.
Brentford’s rapid frontline containing Ivan Toney, Yoane Wissa and Bryan Mbuemo has the potential to draw some cards against Chelsea this evening.
Toney (fouled 3.02) would be a handful for just about any defender in the Premier League at present and the 26-year-old will be a constant irritant for Koulibaly.
Wissa (fouled 1.30 times p/90) has the pace and trickery to trouble stand-in defender Azpilicueta, while Bryan Mbeumo’s direct running should put Cucurella under some pressure on the other side.
Match-Ups to watch
Kalidou Koulibaly vs Ivan Toney
Marc Cucurella vs Bryan Mbuemo
Cezar Azpilicueta vs Yoane Wissa
