Will Brentford advance to the semi-finals?
Quarterfinals in the EFL Cup! In the English League Cup, the fixtures for the last eight remaining teams are up for grabs this week. Among them is the city derby between the Blues from London and the Bees from West London on Wednesday evening. Last week saw another “bye-week” in the league for the West London hosts.
Brentford thus remained without a competitive match for the second time in a row. Indeed, on the previous matchday there had already been a match cancellation after numerous positive cases at the West Londoners. For the first time since the second week of December, Brentford FC are now back and aiming for a surprise coup against their city rivals.
Chelsea, on the other hand, were short-handed in their away game at Wolverhampton last weekend, dropping vital points in the Championship race for the second successive season. The Blues thus missed out on a place at the top of the table, with the gap between them and the leaders from Manchester already six points.
In their current form and with their current personnel problems, the match against Brentford FC in the League Cup is not at all convenient for the visitors. After all, CFC head coach Thomas Tuchel still has to overcome some personnel worries.
Moreover, it is not clear whether Chelsea will be at their best for the match against the Bees. After all, the tough away game against resurgent AVFC is on the agenda this weekend.
Brentford – Statistics & current form
Enough regeneration time for Brentford FC. The Bees have missed the last two competitive games in the English top flight due to quarantine and now head into the cup tie against Chelsea FC after almost two weeks off. Brentford FC have made a big splash in the League Cup so far and have now fought their way through to the quarter-finals.
This is the second best result in the history of the League Cup for the West Londoners, who were promoted to the English top flight last season. The Bees’ only better result came last season, when Brentford FC were eliminated in the semi-finals of the EFL Cup.
Before that, head coach Thomas Frank’s side had made a splash against Premier League sides as a second division side. Only against Spurs from London did Brentford FC narrowly miss out on a place in the final. This year, they also have a realistic chance of reaching the semi-finals.
Will Brentford FC make the most of their home advantage?
Against their city rivals, who are short of players, Brentford FC have the edge in terms of physicality. After all, the last time they played a competitive match was just under a fortnight ago. The city rivals, on the other hand, had a full programme of games in December and are also battling with personnel problems.
It is quite possible that Brentford will seize the opportunity and win against their city rivals. In the league, Brentford FC have already picked up ten points in eight home games. Six of the ten points have come in the last two home games, where the Bees have won against clubs like Everton (1-0) and Watford FC (2-1).
The promoted team has already shown several times this season that there is enough potential in the squad to master the home game against Chelsea FC. Among other things, the West Londoners have already picked up points against top clubs like Arsenal and Liverpool this season. It is therefore by no means far-fetched to make a prediction on the home side when it comes to Brentford vs Chelsea.
Predicted Brentford line-up:
Fernandez – Goode, Jansson, Thompson – Roerslev, Ghoddos, Bidstrup, Jensen, Fosu-Henry – Toney, Forss
Last matches played by Brentford:
Premier League
12/10 2021 – Brentford 2 – 1 Watford
12/05 2021 – Leeds 2 – 2 Brentford
12/02 2021 – Tottenham 2 – 0 Brentford
11/28 2021 – Brentford 1 – 0 Everton
11/20 2021 – Newcastle United 3 – 3 Brentford
Chelsea – Statistics & current form
Chelsea had to approach last weekend’s match despite personnel worries. Unlike much of the league competition, the matchday was not cancelled for the Blues – much to the Londoners’ displeasure. After all, a total of ten players were missing last weekend. The division of points in Wolverhampton was therefore by no means surprising.
During the week, the Blues will now continue in the League Cup, where CFC head coach Tuchel still has to overcome the personnel worries in the squad. Because the EFL Cup is only secondary compared to the Premier League, rotation cannot be ruled out for the cup tie. The use of recovered players such as Loftus-Cheek and Havertz tends to be unrealistic.
It is therefore all the more surprising that the best bookmakers are offering odds of 1.75 on Brentford vs. Chelsea for tip 2. Especially as Chelsea already celebrated a narrow away win at the Bees from West London in the Premier League, benefiting in particular from the inability of their opponents’ attack.
Not enough gunpowder in the CFC offence?
In order to master the cup match at the city rival, especially Chelsea’s offense will have to improve significantly. In the last two competitive games, the attacking department of the Tuchel eleven left a poor impression. In Wolverhampton in particular, the Blues’ attack was far too harmless.
For the first time after 16 competitive matches in a row, Chelsea failed to score last weekend. Throughout the game, the Blues’ efforts were limited, with only one shot on target. In the course of the game, another key player, Ziyech, left for hospital.
It would therefore hardly be surprising if Chelsea were to bow out of the EFL Cup given their current personnel worries. The Blues have not been to the semi-finals of the League Cup since the 2018/19 season anyway.
Predicted Chelsea line-up:
Kepa – Azpilicueta, Rüdiger, Sarr – James, Saul, Kovacic, Alonso – Mount, Barkley – Pulisic
Last Chelsea games:
Premier League
12/19 2021 – Wolverhampton 0 – 0 Chelsea London
12/16 2021 – Chelsea London 1 – 1 Everton
12/11 2021 – Chelsea London 3 – 2 Leeds
Champions League Grp. H
12/08 2021 – Zenit St. Petersburg 3 – 3 Chelsea London
Premier League
12/04 2021 – West Ham 3 – 2 Chelsea London
Brentford – Chelsea Direct comparison / H2H record
This is the 16th time the two London city rivals have met across competitions. So far, Chelsea lead the direct comparison against the Bees from West London with a record of 9-2-4. One of the nine victories came in the first half of the current league season. Chelsea FC edged Brentford FC 2-0 after an energy-sapping match to record their third straight win over their city rivals.
Brentford – Chelsea Tip
Chelsea go into their cup tie against Brentford FC in the worst possible shape. In contrast to the hosts from West London, who have already been on a two-week break, the Blues even had to tackle the away game at Wolverhampton last time out, weakened by replacements. As in the home game against Everton FC, Chelsea lost for the second time in a row.
In the League Cup, therefore, it cannot be ruled out that the next setback for Thomas Tuchel & Co. will follow. Especially as the Blues are still struggling with personnel problems in the quarter-finals of the EFL Cup. In total, ten players, including numerous key performers, are expected to miss the cup match.
The Bees will be looking to seize the moment and reach the semi-finals of the League Cup for the second time in the club’s history. Last season, the West Londoners already made a splash as a second division side, eliminating a number of teams from the English top flight.
With a stake of four units, we therefore dare to bet on Brentford vs. Chelsea at odds of 5.25 on the home side.
