Brentford vs Chelsea Predictions

• Both teams have scored in seven of Brentford’s last 10 Premier League games
• Chelsea have scored in their last 10 games outside of Stamford Bridge
• Enzo Fernandez has two goals in three games and the highest expected goals of any Chelsea player this season

Chelsea must overcome post-international break blues

Chelsea keep it local with a trip to the Gtech Community Stadium on Saturday evening to face a Brentford side that rarely goes down without a fight on home turf. The Blues will have to contend with five first-team stars returning from South America and a looming clash with Bayern Munich in Germany next week.

Apart from the tricky scheduling of the clash for Chelsea, this fixture has proven to be a problem in it’s own right in recent years. Chelsea have not won on their last three league visits to Brentford’s new home and they are too short in the betting at the 3/4 mark to pick up all three points.

Enzo Maresca’s men have secured victories over Fulham and West Ham together with a disappointing 0-0 draw with Crystal Palace on opening weekend. They sit second in the table with better underlying stats than leaders Liverpool.

Both teams to score at Brentford

Brentford, meanwhile, are about where most people expected them to be after three games. Keith Andrews’ side bounced back from their opening-weekend defeat at Nottingham Forest by earning a solid 1-0 home win over Aston Villa.

But, after they knocked Bournemouth out of the Carabao Cup the midweek before last, they were undone by Sunderland’s late show at the Stadium of Light. The Bees have scored in all three of their matches – something that only Liverpool and Bournemouth have done – and they will fancy their chances of bagging against the Blues too.

Brentford have scored 11 goals in their last four Premier League home games and both teams have bagged in seven of their last 10 overall. That trend indicates it may be better to back goals at both ends than for Chelsea to emerge victorious on Saturday.

Fernandez fresher than Blues’ Brazilian boys

Joao Pedro and Estevao have both looked sharp in attack this season, but it may be better to side with another of Chelsea’s South American contingent for a goal this week. Unlike the Brazilian duo and Moises Caicedo, Enzo Fernandez has been able to put his feet up this month because of an international suspension that ruled him out of Argentina’s World Cup qualifying double header.

The ex-Benfica star has already scored two Premier League goals this season and currently boasts the highest expected goals per 90 minutes of any Chelsea player.

Chelsea have the edge in quality and depth, so they might be able to overcome any post-international break fatigue to secure a win. But, if they do, it is likely to be by a slender margin with a 2-1 win favoured in correct score markets.