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Chelsea come to the Gtech on Saturday for our last home game for four weeks after a mixed week of cup action.

Last Sunday, they were beaten by a last-gasp Virgil van Dijk goal for Liverpool in the Carabao Cup final, before scoring a late strike of their own, through Conor Gallagher, to beat Leeds in the fifth round of the FA Cup on Wednesday.

In the quarter-finals they will host Leicester in a fortnight’s time.

The cups have been the saving grace of their season, in which they have been inconsistent in the Premier League yet again.

They are currently 11th in the table, but with a game in hand on most of the the teams above them.

Brentford’s injury crisis has reared its head again with the injury to Ben Mee.

It means that of the back five – goalkeeper and defence – which lined up in the other west London derby on this weekend last year, none are available for us this time.

WHO’S IN CHARGE

Mauricio Pochettino was appointed Chelsea manager this summer, succeeding interim boss Frank Lampard.

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He is the club’s sixth permanent manager in five years after both Thomas Tuchel and Graham Potter were sacked last season.

The Blues are the third English club Pochettino has managed following a year-and-a-half at Southampton and then five years at Tottenham.

During that time, he led Spurs to a Champions League final, which they lost to Liverpool, and a Premier League runners-up spot and a League Cup final, in which they were beaten by his current club Chelsea both times.

After leaving Spurs, he took charge of Paris St Germain, while he began his managerial career at Espanyol.

As a centre-half, he won 20 caps for Argentina and played in all three of their group games – including the 1-0 defeat to England – in the 2002 World Cup finals in Japan and South Korea, as they failed to progress to the knockout stages.

WE’VE MET BEFORE

Despite being such near neighbours, Brentford and Chelsea have rarely met in competitive games over the years.

Before starting to play each other in the Premier League, our only other five league meetings had come in the top flight in the five seasons either side of World War Two.

We have, however, been drawn together three times in the FA Cup – twice in the last decade – and also met in the Carabao Cup two years ago.

Premier League

The matches in 2021/22 were memorable for different reasons.

The Blues’ 1-0 win at the then-named Brentford Community Stadium was earned thanks to a goal from Ben Chilwell and a string of saves from Edouard Mendy.

However, the game at Stamford Bridge in early April was the highlight of many a season for lots of Bees fans as we wrapped up a shock 4-1 win.

Antonio Rudiger hammered Chelsea ahead early in the second half, but a brace from Vitaly Janelt, and goals from Christian Eriksen and Yoane Wissa gave us all three points.

Chelsea failed to score against us last season in two games played on Wednesday nights – with the first meeting at the Gtech a goalless draw in the middle of October.

The return at the end of April saw us run out 2-0 winners with a first-half own goal from Cesar Azpilicueta, after Zanka’s header deflected in off him, and a late second from Bryan Mbeumo.

We repeated the scoreline in October with Bryan Mbeumo crossing for Ethan Pinnock to head the first goal in the 58th minute and then tapping home the second himself after a breakaway run by Neal Maupay.

Our past league results – all in the top flight with Brentford score first – are:

1935/36 – (H) W 2-1 (A) L 1-2

1936/37 – (H) W 1-0 (A) L 1-2

1937/38 – (H) D 1-1 (A) L 1-2

1938/39 – (H) W 1-0 (A) W 3-1

1946/47 – (H) L 0-2 (A) L 2-3

2021/22 – (H) L 0-1 (A) W 4-1

2022/23 – (H) D 0-0 (A) W 2-0

2023/24 – (A) W 2-0

Cups

Our first meeting in the FA Cup came at Griffin Park in the third round in 1949/50, when we were in the Second Division (now Championship) and Chelsea were in the top flight. And it was the visitors who went through 1-0 thanks to an early goal from Jimmy Bowie.

We were drawn at home to the Blues again in the fourth round in 2012/13 when we were in League One and we nearly pulled off a shock victory.

Marcello Trotta gave us the lead just before half-time, only for Oscar to level after the break. Harry Forrester put us 2-1 up with a 73rd-minute penalty, after a foul on substitute Tom Adeyemi, but Fernando Torres ruined our dreams with a late equaliser as it finished 2-2.

In the Stamford Bridge replay, we held out until the 54th minute before Juan Mata gave Chelsea the lead, and then further goals from Oscar, Frank Lampard and John Terry completed a 4-0 win for the hosts.

It was the same scoreline when we again met in the fourth round in 2016/17, with Chelsea being drawn at home this time.

Willian and Pedro had the Blues 2-0 up after only 21 minutes, and Chelsea struck twice more in the last 21 minutes through Branislav Ivanovic, in his farewell appearance for the club, and Michy Batshuayi, from the penalty spot.

The Carabao Cup quarter-final, in which we were also at home, was won by a late own goal by Pontus Jansson and a Jorginho penalty.

OPPOSITION VIEW

BBC London Sport producer and lifelong Chelsea fan Lucy Oliva, who also produces the Athletic’s Chelsea podcast Straight Outta Cobham, assesses Chelsea’s season, analyses Mauricio Pochettino’s reign at the club and looks at where this particular west London derby ranks.

Q – How would you assess Chelsea’s season so far?
A – A mixed bag doesn’t even begin to cover it! Just when you write this team off, they string a couple of performances and results together. Then when you think they’re building towards something positive – their form falls off a cliff again!
The cup competitions have been a welcome relief from a league campaign which sees them sitting 11th in the table and closer to the bottom three than the top four. Inconsistency has been the story of their season so far – and it doesn’t really look like changing any time soon.

Q – How big a difference would winning the Carabao Cup have made?

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A – It felt like much of Chelsea’s season was resting on success at Wembley on Sunday. Given the devastating nature of the defeat – a sixth straight domestic cup final loss – and the furore surrounding the comments from Gary Neville about their “bottle job” status – it’s going to be fascinating to see how this young squad responds to this latest adversity.

It wasn’t pretty against Leeds on Wednesday night in the FA Cup, but they found a way to get the job done and avoided some of the big guns in the quarter-finals. In this strangest of seasons you wouldn’t put it past Chelsea to find a way to Wembley… and probably lose to Liverpool in the final.

Q – Given all the upheaval at the club, what would make this a successful season?

A – The Blues look destined for another mid-table finish at best, which given the vast financial outlay and array of talent, will look to many from the outside as an abject failure of a season. But given the sheer amount of injuries they’ve had to contend with this season – something Brentford can relate to – and the immaturity, inexperience and lack of leadership in the young squad that’s been assembled – there seems to be some extenuating circumstances as to why it’s been such a struggle for the Blues.

While there are certain factions of the fanbase who are “Poch out” – others hope he’s given another summer break and transfer window to really make his mark – and that the glimpses and flashes we’ve seen of improvement and quality can become more sustained.

Q – How much of an impact has Mauricio Pochettino made at the club?

A – I think there was a greater level of expectation as to where Chelsea would be both in the table and in terms of their development as a team under Mauricio Pochettino. There have certainly been glimpses – particularly against the “big” teams in the Premier League – that Poch has been able to set the team up to be incredibly difficult to break down. Look no further than the creditable draws against Liverpool, Arsenal and Man City and victories against Tottenham and Aston Villa in the cup. But it’s been against teams who set up with a low press that they’ve looked shaky.

He’s been criticised for some of his substitutions and decision-making within games – so in truth time is yet to tell whether he will have a positive legacy at Stamford Bridge or be just another good manager caught up in the Chelsea chaos.

Q – As London derbies go for Chelsea, where does the one against Brentford rank in importance?

A – There’s no denying Chelsea’s rivalries with Tottenham, West Ham and Arsenal probably take prominence over Brentford (or Fulham and Crystal Palace) – but given Chelsea’s form in the matches since the Bees got promoted they should perhaps pay more attention to this London derby!

Given that there’s only been 20 meetings in history between these two sides – it simply hasn’t had the frequency or competitiveness through the years to be considered a particularly fiery rivalry.

Q – What are your memories of past Brentford-Chelsea matches?

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A – The less said about meetings between Chelsea and Brentford at Stamford Bridge the better – from a Blues perspective of course! Three defeats from three over the last three years has been the stuff of nightmares. From what I remember as I watched on from the away end last season’s goalless draw at the Gtech wasn’t a classic. The fact that only Conor Gallagher who started that day will feature shows just what a tumultuous period it’s been for the club and how much upheaval there’s been.

Q – Finally can you give me a possible Blues line-up and formation please?

A – I expect Chelsea to revert back to the XI which started the League Cup final after making five changes for the midweek FA Cup tie against Leeds.

The news that Christopher Nkunku has suffered yet another injury setback is a huge blow – with pressure on Nicholas Jackson to be the main source of goals for the side alongside the superb Cole Palmer. Without him, you do question where Chelsea would be this season.

4 – 2 – 3 – 1

Petrovic

Gusto, Disasi, Colwill, Chilwell

Caicedo, Enzo

Palmer, Gallagher, Sterling

Jackson

 

 

HOW TO FOLLOW THE GAME IF YOU CAN’T BE THERE

If you can’t get to the Brentford Community Stadium for Saturday’s sold out 3pm kick-off and want Brentford commentary, audio coverage is available via Buzz Box for free.

Coverage starts half an hour before kick-off and is advert-free, with Mark Burridge and Kirsty Matthews.

The BBC London Sport Show comes live from the Gtech introduced by Phil Parry.

PUBS IN BRENTFORD AND TRAVEL NEWS

For Chelsea fans coming to the Gtech Community Stadium, there are plenty of pub options pre and post-match and all are most welcoming and away-fan-friendly (as it should be) and if you read below, some are open from 9am

The pub areas are split into two zones. There is the area around Brentford’s old Griffin Park stadium. The pubs there are still very busy on match day frequented by Bees locals before heading down the road to the stadium at Kew Bridge which is only 15 mins walk.

Then there is the area in and around the stadium in Kew Bridge.

It is possible, if you have a good early start, to savour a few pubs in and around Griffin Park and Brentford zone before heading off to the pubs in the Kew zone or even vice versa if you so fancy.

Pubs in Griffin Park/Brentford zone

When at Griffin Park, Brentford was well known for its four pubs – one on each corner of the ground. Three are still operating.

The Griffin is closest to the old away end and has always been very popular with both home and away fans and has its regulars who still make the journey down to the new stadium from there on matchday. The New Inn is on the other side which used to also be popular with away fans before the move. The Brook pub is the other option if you want to savour a pub in and around what is left of our old home. Worth a peep if you want to reminisce about old Brentford.

About five minutes’ walk away from the old ground are two pubs which are enormously popular. The Globe (Windmill Rd) is a “lively but comfortable” pub on matchday where many of the Beesotted crew drink on matchday. The pub will open from 9am on the morning of the Liverpool match. Incredibly friendly and cosy, it has always welcomed away fans for years – you can wear colours but also #manners are order. The pub has been popular with a selection of away fans who fancied having a beer a few minutes further walk away from the ground without having to queue six persons deep. After the move to the new ground, The Globe has retained many of lot its regulars from the Griffin Park days and with screens throughout the pub and in its sheltered beer garden, it shows both Premier League and EFL football before and after each match.

Meanwhile around the corner, The Lord Nelson (Enfield Rd) is another incredibly friendly and cosy away-friendly pubs about one minute walk from The Globe. Again with a TV screen for live sports and a lovely beer garden, this is another pub frequented by “away fans in the know”.

The other pub worth checking out in the Griffin Park region is The Black Dog Beer House, formerly The Albany, on Albany Road, if you like your real ales.

There are plenty of other pubs in and around Brentford High Street including real ale pub Magpie and Crown (Brentford High Street) and the cosy Brewery Tap (Catherine Wheel Road) near the river.

For a Griffin Park area pub crawl before heading over to Kew we recommend the following: Take the Piccadilly line to Northfields station. Turn left and walk for 2 mins and you will come to The Plough (Northfields Ave). Then walk to The Lord Nelson (10 min walk from The Plough) & then The Globe (1 min walk from The Nelson) en-route before hitting The Griffin (8 min walk from The Globe) and then The Black Dog (2 mins from The Griffin). You can also try and do the other three pubs on the corner whilst down here if you fancy.

Then you can then either walk (15 minutes from The Globe/The Nelson and The Griffin/Black Dog ) or take a train from Brentford station (which is five minutes walk away from both The Globe/The Nelson and The Griffin/Black Dog) or a bus (237/267) to Kew Bridge.

Trains run at 24 and 54 minutes past the hour to Kew Bridge from Brentford and take 2 mins.

Pubs in the Kew Bridge zone

Right next to Kew Bridge station, you will find the Express Tavern – an ale pub with a retro feel. The pub has been refurbished in readiness for the new football season and needless to say, is popular before the match due to its close proximity to the stadium.

Across the road by the river is One Over the Ait – a spacious boozer right next to Kew Bridge. This pub is situated on the location of the now-demolished Oxford & Cambridge pub where Brentford Football Club was founded in 1889.

Across Kew Bridge and the River Thames, there are two pubs on Kew Green – the Cricketers and the Greyhound – very close to the pier where Brentford fans have embarked on their away journeys by water to F*lham, Orient, Charlton, West Ham and even Southend.

North of the river along hoity-toity Strand on the Green, you will find The Steam Packet, in an old Cafe Rouge, and The Bell. A bit further down are The City Barge and the Bulls Head – two pubs side-by-side in which you would often see Ant and Dec hanging out.

There is also The Pilot which you can get to coming out of the BACK entrance of Gunnersbury station and we believe the old John Bull pub at the front of the station has been refurbed as The Gunnersbury but we have never been there so can’t give it a or a

Transport to Brentford and Kew Bridge

The simplest on paper to get to Brentford FC from town is to get the tube to Waterloo (Northern, Jubilee lines) or Vauxhall (Victoria Line) and then take the Overground train to Kew Bridge, which is right by the stadium. Brentford is one stop further on if you are on an ‘Original Griffin Park Pub’ mission.

With trains from Waterloo being only twice an hour (22 and 52) and taking 28 minutes, we normally recommend people jump on the tube from Kings Cross or Euston and head to Northfields or South Ealing on the Piccadilly Line as it is quicker (including the time getting across London and waiting at Waterloo) and trains are more frequent.

It is only 40 mins max station by tube to station meaning you could be in a Brentford pub within an hour of embarking your train at Kings Cross, Euston or Liverpool Street.

The other station option is Gunnersbury. You can walk to the stadium from Gunnersbury tube station (District line) in 25 minutes or take a bus (H91, 237, 267, 110), but note that it is closed for entry for one hour after the match.

For the Brentford/Griffin Park pubs you can get the Piccadilly line tube to Northfields station from King’s Cross or Euston (35 minutes) then walk down to The Plough, The Globe, The Lord Nelson and The Griffin and other pubs from there.

The new stadium is around 25 minutes’ walk from South Ealing station – if you don’t fancy Gunnersbury – or you can get on the 65 bus from across the road which will drop you almost outside in 15 minutes.

You can also pick up the 65 bus from Ealing Broadway (district and central line) which will take you to the new stadium in 25 minutes.

You can check out Transport for London’s guide to travel on the Tube and Overground.