Brentford 0-0 Chelsea: First Half Lacks Spark

Chelsea had the edge in a largely uneventful first half at Brentford on Friday, creating the few chances that arose.

Xabi Alonso's team, looking to recover from a draw against Hull, controlled possession at the Gtech Community Stadium but offered little attacking threat.

Caoimhin Kelleher, the home goalkeeper, saved a Pedro Neto shot in the ninth minute. Five minutes before halftime, Jannik Schuster, a Brentford defender, blocked a goal-bound shot from Morgan Rogers.

The match struggled for quality in between these moments, with Brentford seeking their first league win since the season's opening day.

It took Keith Andrews' side nearly 37 minutes to test the opposing goalkeeper. Yehor Yarmoliuk's effort resulted in a straightforward save for Emiliano Martinez.

Alonso likely found some encouragement in his team's defensive shape, especially after conceding nine goals in their first four league games.

Brentford Team News

Brentford were missing Joshua Dasilva, Antoni Milambo, Nathan Collins, Sepp van den Berg, Mathias Jensen, and Kafe Furo.

Brentford lineup: Kelleher; Kayode, Ajer, Schuster, Lewis-Potter; Janelt, Yarmoliuk, Damsgaard, Anthony, Schade; Thiago.

Substitutes: Balcombe, Hickey, Henry, Ouattara, Wilson, Carvalho, Sangare, Diouf, Fredrick.

Chelsea Team News

Joao Pedro and Reece James were sidelined due to injury. Maxence Lacroix, Valentin Barco, and Danny Welbeck were included in the lineup, with Jordan Henderson making his first start for Chelsea against his former club.

Malo Gusto and Romeo Lavia were among the substitutes.

Chelsea lineup: Martinez; Fofana, Lacroix, Colwill; Neto, Chavarria, Henderson, Barco; Palmer, Rogers, Welbeck.

Substitutes: Penders, Acheampong, Gusto, Hato, Lavia, Nicoll-Jazuli, Gittens, Estevao, Quenda.

Brentford vs Chelsea: Key Statistics and League Form

Both teams have scored first in all four of their Premier League matches this season. However, the side scoring first has won only 58.3% of games overall this season (21 out of 36), the lowest proportion seen in a Premier League season.

Brentford's set-piece expected goals total (excluding penalties) this season stands at 2.34, second only to Leeds United (2.47). Chelsea faces the seventh-highest total against them at 1.57.

Mamadou Sangare of Brentford ranks among the top players for high-intensity pressures in their own half, with 127. He is also joint-fourth for fouls conceded (8) and joint-fifth for tackles made (13).

Brentford has not won any of their five home Premier League games against Chelsea, drawing the last four.

Ten of Brentford's last 14 Premier League matches have ended in draws (two wins, two losses). Their current unbeaten run of six top-flight games (one win, five draws) is their longest since March 2023 (12 games) and September 2023 (7).

After losing three of their first five Premier League encounters with Brentford, Chelsea is now unbeaten in their last five meetings (two wins, three draws).

Chelsea has managed only one win in their last six away Premier League matches (one draw, four losses). This calendar year, only Crystal Palace (23) has conceded more away goals among current division teams than Chelsea (21).

Chelsea's league games this season have seen more goals than any other side (19 in total: 10 scored, 9 conceded). They have previously started a Premier League season scoring and conceding at least 10 goals only once, in 2019/20 (11 scored, 11 conceded).

Joao Pedro leads the Premier League in goal involvements this season with six (three goals, three assists). Since the start of last season, he has more games with both a goal and an assist than any other player in the competition (6), including three of his four appearances this campaign.

Danny Welbeck has scored in his last three Premier League appearances against Brentford and has never scored in four consecutive matches against the same opponent in the competition.