Premier League: Chelsea Caught the Blues

Brentford vs Chelsea

Chelsea have been the talk of the town ever since falling short in the EFL Cup final against Liverpool, and the football world has been left wondering what’s next on the itinerary of the rebuilding Blues.

Poch and his men will try to salvage what’s left of their season, starting off with a Premier League tie against Thomas Frank’s Brentford.

The Bees are in a rut, riding a three-game losing streak in the top flight, and with a tough March slate ahead of them, they’d need to muster up respectable Premier League results to stay above the relegation zone and keep their top flight dreams alive.

Talking Points

What’s next for Chelsea?

After slipping down the Premier League table thanks to tepid Premier League 2024 results, Chelsea and its loyal supporters, this SBOTOP writer included, were banking on the EFL Cup for a little bit of solace in what seems like a long rebuild ahead of them.

Unfortunately for Chelsea, Klopp and Liverpool had other plans, as Reds captain Virgil van Dijk scored the only goal of the EFL Cup final, deep into extra time to take home the hardware.

Chelsea, however, quickly rally back with a grueling 5^th round clash in the FA Cup against the Championship side, Leeds United, with a 3-2 victory at Stamford Bridge. With this win, Chelsea have secured their spot in the quarterfinals, where they’ll face off with another Championship outfit, Leicester City.

After letting the EFL Cup slip through their fingers, Pochettino and the rest of his men can’t afford to be lenient with their efforts in the FA Cup. But Chelsea’s efforts against Leeds prove that they still have a lot in the tank.

Now, with EFL glory no longer in sight, Mauricio Pochettino and the rest of the Blues can do nothing but keep their heads up and keep striving for greener pastures ahead. 

It helps that they’ll face Brentford in their next Premier League tie. Brentford have lost three consecutive top-flight matches, and Chelsea should pounce on the Bees’ current struggles to quickly regain morale and form.

Currently in the bottom half of the league table, a win over Brentford could propel them a few places up the standings and will serve as a great launching pad to get them back in European contention.

Brentford need to brace for a tough March slate

The Bees are in for a tough month. Already hovering just above the relegation zone, Brentford will need to brave formidable adversaries in the next few weeks to stay afloat in the Premier League.

As stated above, they’ll have a crack at Chelsea for their first match in the month of March. The Blues are currently in disarray after falling short in the EFL and it’ll be interesting to see if Ivan Toney and the rest of the Bees can cause more problems for Chelsea in this part of the season.

Next on the list are the red hot Gunners. Arsenal are currently the hottest team in the top flight, having won five consecutive Premier League matches. They are one win away from possibly overtaking both Manchester City and Liverpool to reach the Premier League summit once again.

The Bees, however, have fared relatively well against Arsenal this season. Despite losing their previous EPL and EFL Cup bouts against Arteta’s outfit, Brentford have managed to simmer down Arsenal’s potent offence, keeping the Gunners to just one goal in each of their matches this season.

After Arsenal, the relegation candidates Burnley will be next on the menu, followed by the European competition aspirants, Manchester United.

To say that Thomas Frank has a lot on his shoulders for the next couple of weeks would be an understatement. With just five points clear of the relegation zone, Frank and the rest of his outfit need to garner as many points as possible to keep afloat in the top flight, and their bouts in the month of March could make or break their chances of competing in the Premier League next season.

History

In recent history, Brentford have only gone on a consistent run in the Premier League since the 2021–22 season, which is why the Bees and the Blues have only had nine head-to-heads across all competitions since 2013.

Among those nine games, Brentford have won just three, while Chelsea won the majority with four matches and were able to tally two draws to boot.

Although, the Bees have bossed their most recent matchups against Chelsea, winning three of the last five and conceding just one goal since 2022.

Betting Tip

Despite losing three of their last five against Brentford, the Premier League 2024 betting odds still have Chelsea as the favourites at 2.19, while the Bees are smacked with a price tag of 2.82 and a draw price of 3.43.

The Bees will have solace with their home advantage, especially after losing three consecutive matches. But the Blues look to be the better team in the past few weeks, and their redemption win against Leeds in the FA Cup serves as a huge morale boost when they march to Gtech Community Stadium this weekend.

Another line to consider is total goals under 3.25 at 1.74. Their aggregate has only reached more than three goals once in their last six matchups, so expect more of the same in their upcoming tie.

 

●●●

CHECK OUT OUR BLOG FOR MORE FOOTBALL STORIES & ODDS

Stay updated with everything sports and betting.

Follow us on social Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.