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Chelsea vs Brentford match preview: Premier League returns

By ROSHAAN KAPOOR

BRENTFORD, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 16: N'Golo Kante of Chelsea in action with Mathias Jensen and Frank Onyeka of Brentford during the Premier League match between Brentford and Chelsea at Brentford Community Stadium on October 16, 2021 in Brentford, England. (Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images)
BRENTFORD, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 16: N'Golo Kante of Chelsea in action with Mathias Jensen and Frank Onyeka of Brentford during the Premier League match between Brentford and Chelsea at Brentford Community Stadium on October 16, 2021 in Brentford, England. (Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images) /
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BRENTFORD, ENGLAND – DECEMBER 22: Jorginho of Chelsea and Reece James celebrate following the Carabao Cup Quarter Final match between Brentford and Chelsea at Brentford Community Stadium on December 22, 2021 in Brentford, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)
BRENTFORD, ENGLAND – DECEMBER 22: Jorginho of Chelsea and Reece James celebrate following the Carabao Cup Quarter Final match between Brentford and Chelsea at Brentford Community Stadium on December 22, 2021 in Brentford, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images) /

Chelsea team news

After an impressive international break for the Chelsea players, individuals like Pulisic and Silva, who have played all the contests for their international sides, might not feature in the game against Brentford. Thomas Tuchel is undoubtedly keeping in mind that he cannot overplay them as this increases their chances of getting injured. On the injuries front, the list of absences seems to be dwindling with Andreas Christensen, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Reece James all returning to training recently. Christensen and James are expected to be ready for selection, while Hudson-Odoi remains sidelined with his latest issue.

Keeping in mind the reverse fixture where Brentford dominated the last 20 minutes of the game and the Blues had to grind out a 1-0 win, Tuchel might go with a much more experienced back line this time. Thus, despite the resurgence of Malang Sarr—who played well against Brentford last time out—he might not get the chance to start. If the manager plays with a back four from the beginning of the match, expect someone like Hakim Ziyech to be the main playmaker for the team.

Brentford team news

Brentford too has quite a lot of good news coming its way when it comes to players returning to Frank’s squad. Josh Dasilva will complete his three-match ban after his red card against Newcastle United. Saman Ghoddos and Christian Eriksen, who both tested positive for COVID-19 before the Bees’ game against Leicester City, are ready for selection at Stamford Bridge. The latter notably returned with a bang for Denmark, scoring in both of his country’s friendlies against Serbia and the Netherlands respectively.

Julian Jeanvier seems to be the only one who will be missing for the Chelsea game due to a serious knee injury. Frank will definitely benefit from the return of Eriksen to the squad, but he will have to assess the fitness of the Danish international. That being said, Eriksen ought to be fine to take his place in the hole in the West London Derby on Saturday.

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