“The more awkward the whole situation feels” – Chris Sutton predicts the winner of Chelsea vs Brentford
Former Celtic striker Chris Sutton has backed Brentford to hold Chelsea to a 1-1 draw in their upcoming Premier League meeting on Wednesday night (April 26).
Chelsea are still searching for their first point under interim manager Frank Lampard. Since replacing Bruno Saltor as caretaker boss on April 6, 2023, he has managed the Blues in four matches, losing all of them. In the club's last outing, Real Madrid recorded a 2-0 win over them at Stamford Bridge to qualify for the Champions League semi-finals with a comfortable 4-0 aggregate scoreline.
The west London outfit will be eager to avoid their fifth consecutive defeat in their upcoming Premier League tussle against Brentford at Stamford Bridge. While Sutton believes that they can finally break their losing streak, he does not see them securing all three points over the Bees.
In his Daily Mail column, Sutton wrote:
“Frank Lampard may have thought his return to Chelsea was a 'free hit' but the longer he doesn't win, the more awkward the whole situation feels.
“Sorry, Frank, but I don't think that victory will come against Brentford.”
Lampard’s men have historically been much superior to Brentford. The two teams have met 18 times, with the west London outfit coming out on top on 10 occasions. Brentford, on the other hand, have won five matches, with the two teams playing out three draws.
The heavyweights, who are currently 11th in the Premier League standings, however, are winless against Brentford in their last two meetings. They lost this fixture 4-1 last season and were held to a goalless draw in their meeting with Brentford back in October.
Chelsea could use Hakim Ziyech to sign Napoli ace Victor Osimhen this summer
According to the Daily Mirror (via Express Sport), Chelsea could use out-of-favor forward Hakim Ziyech as a bait to sign Napoli star Victor Osimhen this summer. It has been reported that Napoli are interested in the Moroccan winger, and the Blues want to leverage that to land Osimhen. Frank Lampard's side are reportedly interested in pursuing a player-plus-cash deal for Osimhen.
The Stamford Bridge outfit are looking for an efficient centre-forward and Osimhen fits the bill perfectly. The 24-year-old has scored 26 times in 32 games thus far and is widely hailed as one of the most lethal forwards around.
If Chelsea can land him for a reduced fee by trading Ziyech, who has only played 20 times this season, it would be considered a big win on their books.