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EPL: Chelsea vs Brentford Preview: Tips, Odds, and Prediction

SportsBoom previews Chelsea and Brentford’s encounter at Stamford Bridge in London, England on Sunday, 15 December 2024, in a late-night encounter. As Chelsea continues to be this season’s dark horse to the surprise of many, Premier League betting fans are already having a look at the fixture, assessing both teams whilst looking for the best odds. Be sure to check out our in-depth preview of the fixture as we look at odds, give some tips and make our prediction.

Jimmy Modise
Jimmy Modise

Last Updated: 2024-12-10

Chad Nagel

7 minutes read

Cole Palmer of Chelsea is challenged by Nathan Collins of Brentford

Cole Palmer is challenged by Nathan Collins//Getty Images

SportsBoom previews Chelsea and Brentford’s encounter at Stamford Bridge in London, England on Sunday, 15 December 2024, in a late-night encounter. 

As Chelsea continues to be this season’s dark horse to the surprise of many, Premier League betting fans are already having a look at the fixture, assessing both teams whilst looking for the best odds.

Be sure to check out our in-depth preview of the fixture as we look at odds, give some tips and make our prediction.

Chelsea vs Brentford Preview

Brentford won’t be travelling far to face Chelsea on Sunday evening in the Premier League as the game is a London derby.

After Enzo Maresca’s appointment, not many tipped Chelsea to be in the top four and possible contenders for the title.

The once formidable London team in blue is going about their business quietly this season whilst Brentford is doing relatively well skirting in and out of the top ten.

Chelsea’s impressive form has seen them clinically beat the so-called small teams and hold their own against the traditional big rivals such as Arsenal and Manchester United, whom they forced 1-1 draws against.

Brentford’s run has been inconsistent but good enough for a mid-table team at this point of the season, with a poor record away from home.

Pre-Game Odds and Win Probability: Chelsea Clear Favourites

  1. Home: 21/50 (1.42) – 70.4%

  2. Draw: 17/4 (5.25) – 19%

  3. Away: 59/10 (6.9) – 14.5%

  4. *Odds courtesy of Betandyou, subject to change.

Head-to-Head Record

Although Chelsea come into the game as the team with a better form, Brentford have a better recent head-to-head record having either beaten or forced a draw against Chelsea, who last beat them in 2021.

Last Five Meetings in the Premier League

  • 02/03/24 Brentford 2 Chelsea 2
  • 28/10/23 Chelsea 0 Brentford 2
  • 26/04/23 Chelsea 0 Brentford 2
  • 19/10/22 Brentford 0 Chelsea 0
  • 02/04/22 Chelsea 1 Brentford 4

Chelsea Current Form – WWWWD

Following a tough comeback encounter at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in another London derby, Chelsea return to their fortress Stamford Bridge after two games away from home, hoping to continue where they left off last time.

Chelsea dismantled Aston Villa 3-0 the last time they played a Premier League match at home. Maresca’s side completely dominated Villa with 67% ball possession and 17 goal attempts.

The last time Chelsea lost at home was in the opening round of the Premier League against Manchester City who beat them 2-0. Since then, they’ve gone on to win 4 and draw 3, making it difficult for visitors.

Maresca and his relatively young squad will be hoping to break their duck against Brentford this time around having last won against them 1-0 in 2021 from a first-half goal by Ben Chilwell.

Cole Palmer of Chelsea celebrates scoring his team's fourth goal from the penalty spot

Cole Palmer of Chelsea celebrates scoring his team's fourth goal//Getty Images

Key Players to Watch

  • Noni Madueke: Chelsea’s frontman seems to be finding his form having been very crucial in recent matches. Madueke scored and provided an assist in their 5-1 thumping of Southampton and will surely be looking to carry this form going into their encounter against Brentford if given an opportunity.
  • Levi Colwill: At the back, Colwill has been very crucial, providing stability and some assurance to the rest of the team. He’s gradually taken on a leadership role within the team and has a knack for delivering exceptional long passes. 
  • Jadon Sancho: The former Manchester United winger has regained his form with goals and assists since joining the Blues. He was a constant threat against Tottenham, even scoring a great goal. He’ll be expected to cause Brentford all kinds of problems. 

Chelsea News

Mykhailo Mudryk will be looking to make the match-day squad having missed out against Tottenham Hotspur due to illness. His return will significantly boost Chelsa’s options at the front.

Brentford Current Form- WLWDW

Brentford’s current form points to some inconsistency and is perhaps a good indicator of why they find themselves mid-table at this point in the season. Their away record so far is not pleasing and will be a concern to Thomas Frank.

The last time Brentford won away from home was last season against Bournemouth in the final game of the campaign. This season they’ve managed to collect only one point away from home with six losses.

Perhaps if we were to look at the calibre of the opponents they lost against, then some sort of concession might be made. Their first four away games were against Liverpool, Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United.

Thomas Frank might be going into this one looking to secure at least a draw against an in-form Chelsea because anything else will probably be an insurmountable task considering their poor away record so far.

Key Players to Watch

  • Bryan Mbuemo: Joint top scorer with Yoane Wissa, Bryan Mbuemo’s strength and power will be an important factor in their game. Running at defenders with force and power, especially on the counter might unsettle Chelsea’s backline. 
  • Yoane Wissa: If he gets good supply then Wissa might cause some problems for Chelsea. So far this season, he has managed to score nine goals and will be looking to add more to his tally.
  • Mikkel Damsgaard: Going forward and against Chelsea, Brentford will need the creative spark of Mikkel Damsgaard to be in full effect. The Dane has so far provided five assists and two goals, and if their approach is going to be playing on the counter then he’ll be key.

Brentford News

Brentford’s Thomas Frank insists that it's time the Bees improve their away form following their 4-2 win at home against Newcastle. The squad is almost at full complement with only three players out on injury. 

Predicted Lineups

  1. Chelsea: 4-2-3-1: 

    Sanchez, Cucurella, Colwill, Badiashile, Caicedo, Fernandez, Lavia, Sancho, Palmer, Madueke, Jackson

  2. Brentford: 3-5-2

    Flekken, Van den Berg, Collins, Pinnock, Mbuemo, Yarmolyuk, Norgaard, Lewis Potter, Wissa, Carvalho, Thiago

Suggested Bets

Thinking of betting on football, then have a look at our suggested bets from some of the most popular sportsbooks.

  1. Over 2.5: Both teams are scoring for fun recently so expect some goals in this one. It will certainly not be dull by any measure. Brentford have scored 17 goals in their last seven Premier League games. Chelsea have also scored an equal number of goals in seven Premier League games. (9/25 with Betway), (33/100 with 1xBet).

  2. Both Teams to Score – Yes: The chances of both teams scoring in this match are very likely considering their form in front of goal and how they often let a few in on their end of the goals. (61/100 with Betway).

  3. Both Halves Under 1.5- No: We believe either half will have more than two goals considering how much these two teams have been scoring in recent times. (11/50 with Betway).

Value Bets

  1. Anytime Scorer- Nicolas Jackson: Chelsea’s frontman has proven to have improved significantly from last season and is a sure fit to score anytime on a good day. He has scored eight goals so far this season and will be looking forward to increasing that tally against Brentford. (63/50 with Betway)

  2. First Team to Score – Chelsea: Chelsea have managed to score first in most of their recent games. They did so against Southampton, Aston Villa and Leicester City, games that they went on to win with convincing scores. (33/100 with Betway).

  3. Highest Scoring Half – First Half: Both teams shoot out the blocks fast and as such, a high-scoring half is very possible. Brentford’s last game against Newcastle had four goals in the first half while Chelsea’s against Tottenham had three. (41/20 with Betway).

Prediction: Draw and Both Teams to Score

The likelihood of both teams scoring is very high here as both Chelsea and Brentford have been scoring a lot of goals. Chelsea’s youth is probably one of the reasons why they let in goals and score as much as they do because younger players tend to be prone to mistakes.

Brentford, on the other hand, have a similar track record to Chelsea, they score but concede just as much. In most games they’ve won, they have done so in results that saw both teams score in the game. 

A draw is also likely because pound for pound, both teams can give as good as they get. It will therefore be a very close encounter.

Jimmy Modise
Jimmy ModiseSports Writer

Jimmy is based in Johannesburg, South Africa and has a Diploma in Journalism and Media Studies. He’s a sports fanatic of several sporting disciplines which he is well versed with.