Brentford vs Chelsea Prediction: Blues unable to bridge gap away from home

A more famous rivalry takes place on Sunday as the two Manchester clubs - United and City - face off at Old Trafford (16:30), but there's another derby to look forward to earlier in the day as west London rivals Brentford and Chelsea meet at the Gtech Stadium (14:00).

Below are my Brentford vs Chelsea predictions, supported by all the latest team news and match odds.

Team News

Brentford boss Thomas Frank has issued a positive update over the fitness of Bees left-back Rico Henry, who has played just three minutes in the Premier League this season - a late cameo in January's 2-2 draw against Manchester City. The 27-year-old has been sidelined with a hamstring injury, but Frank revealed on Friday that there is a "good chance" he will be in the squad for this weekend's west London derby.

"Everyone from the Newcastle game is fine," said Frank.

"The three boys [Henry, Aaron Hickey and Gustavo Nunes] who played for Brentford B [against Fleetwood Town Under-21s] are in a good place; Mathias [Jensen] is fine and training well - he could be available on Sunday.

"Mikkel Damsgaard is fine, it is no secret that he will start on Sunday!"

Football Odds

However, Fabio Carvalho, who has missed Brentford's last three games with a shoulder problem, is unlikely to feature again this season, while Josh Dasilva and Iago Thiago are still recovering from knee injuries.

Wesley Fofana and Romeo Lavia both missed Chelsea's victory over Spurs on Thursday night with hamstring issues, and neither player is back fit to make the short trip to the Gtech on Sunday.

Teenagers Omari Kellyman and Marc Guiu (both hamstring) also miss out again, while Mkyhailo Mydryk remains suspended.

Reece James was only utilised as a late substitute at Stamford Bridge in midweek, so the Blues captain could come into the starting XI this weekend.

Noni Madueke made his return from injury against Spurs and could replace Jadon Sancho on the wing against the Bees.

Brentford vs Chelsea Odds

Brentford started the season off superbly at the Gtech but are now seven games without a win (D2, L5) there in the Premier League, last tasting success at home on December 7. The Bees are underdogs on Sunday, with odds of 11/5 implying a win probability of 31.3%, while Chelsea, who have won three of their last four league matches but none of their previous seven away from home, are 23/20 (46.5%).

Last season's corresponding fixture ended 2-2; another draw between the two here is priced at 11/4, and a repeat of that scoreline is 10/1.

Cole Palmer is goalless in his last 11 Chelsea appearances but heads the anytime market at 7/5, while Brentford pair Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa, who have scored 16 and 14 Premier League goals, respectively, this season, are both priced at 7/4.

Draw No Bet - Brentford @ 5/4

Brentford are on a horror run of form at home, but the Bees should be encouraged by the equally terrible recent away record of Chelsea, who last won on their Premier League travels back in early December, beating Tottenham Hotspur 4-3 in north London.

Enzo Maresca's side have lost five of their last six league away contests, including their most recent five, and one of those defeats was at relegation-threatened Ipswich Town (2-0).

The Blues beat their west London rivals 2-1 at Stamford Bridge in December but haven't won at the Gtech since 2021 when they followed up a 1-0 league success there in October with a 2-0 Carabao Cup victory two months later.

Brentford lost 2-1 to Newcastle United on Wednesday but by no means disgraced themselves, and while they are seven games without a win at home, one of their two draws there this calendar year came against reigning Premier League champions Manchester City (2-2).

Frank's side are getting a few more players back fit, and that should set them up for a decent end to the campaign, while Chelsea have looked ponderous during Palmer's poor run of form.

A Brentford win looks tempting at 11/5 here, but backing the hosts in the 'Draw No Bet' market, meaning your stake is returned in the event of a stalemate, is most advisable.

Anytime Goalscorer - Bryan Mbeumo (BRE) @ 7/4

Mbeumo hadn't scored in his previous three Brentford appearances heading into Wednesday's game at St James' Park, but the Cameroon international, who found the net in his country's 3-1 win over Libya on March 25, made it back-to-back goals for club and country by converting a penalty on Tyneside.

The 25-year-old has now scored 16 goals in 30 Premier League appearances this season, and one of those came at Stamford Bridge in December as he gave something for the Bees to fight for in the closing stages, although his 90th-minute strike proved futile as Chelsea claimed all three points.

Still, it was a third career goal against the Blues in just seven appearances, and all three have been scored in his last four games against them.

Mbeumo's next challenge is to notch one against Chelsea at the Gtech, where a west London derby goal has so far evaded him.

Given Chelsea's toils on their travels this season, with 12 goals conceded across their last six away games, the Brentford winger could well break his home hoodoo against the Blues this Sunday.

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