Chelsea v Brentford

Chelsea v Brentford: Off field issues have no effect on the Blues

A West London derby at Stamford Bridge this Saturday as Chelsea face Brentford. Ben Steele expects the hosts to have no trouble...

Mount can put game to bed early

During a time of unprecedented turbulence at Chelsea in the boardroom the team's performance has been remarkably consistent. Since a 1-0 loss to Manchester City in mid-January Thomas Tuchel has seen his side win 13 of their last 15 games in all competitions, a draw with Brighton and a Carabao Cup final penalty defeat to Liverpool the only blemishes.

With a midweek visit of Real Madrid in the Champions League on the cards there is a chance that Tuchel may want to field a rotated side, but after an international break I would expect him to start with a strong side, hope Chelsea jump out to an early lead and deal with resting his key men once the game is over as a contest.

Despite the multi-million pound arrival of Romelu Lukaku and Timo Werner in recent years Chelsea have struggled for goals from strikers under Tuchel. In fact it is midfielder Mason Mount's eight Premier League goals that currently lead the team.

Mount had limited involvement with England in the international break so should be well rested and will want to continue his best scoring season with his boyhood club. Priced @ 5/1 to open the scoring Mount is well worth backing as he'll look to put Chelsea in control early.

In-form Chelsea should continue derby dominance

Brentford and Chelsea have not met often but when they have done it is Chelsea who have usually ended up victorious, in fact, the last Brentford victory came in 1939.

The two sides have met twice this season and Thomas Frank's men have held their own but have never really troubled their opponents, I expect more of the same on Saturday afternoon. Brentford started the season well but have been inconsistent since then, the two wins and two losses in their last four are a microcosm of their season.

The hosts are heavy favourites (1.3 on the Exchange) and that is not without warrant. With Christian Pulisic and Eduoard Mendy returning from international duty having played major parts in their country's World Cup qualification and Kai Havertz in his best scoring form in a Chelsea shirt they certainly have the firepower and the defensive ability to control the game.

Havertz is looking to score in four straight games for the first time since an impressive run for Bayer Leverkusen in 2019 and an #OddsOnThat bet of Chelsea to win each half, Havertz to score and Chelsea to have the most corners in each half available @ 10/1 is well worth a look.

Toney will be Tuchel's main worry

If Chelsea are to fear anyone in their opposition's lineup it will, undoubtedly, be Ivan Toney. Brentford's leading man has, much like his team, been a little inconsistent this term but he has scored seven times in his last six games and that run has all but ensured the Bees' survival.

With Christian Eriksen and Bryan Mbeumo providing creativity behind him and Toney's ability to challenge defenders in a number of different ways is will be the main focus of Chelsea's defence. With Thiago Silva likely to be rested before the Madrid game Toney will look to make the most of whatever chances come his way.

The 26-year-old is 3/1 to score anytime, and if the visitors are going to get anything from the game then he will be the man to have an impact.