Back on Sept. 7, when Chelsea FC sacked manager Thomas Tuchel, it seems ridiculous, the notion that the Blues might win something of import this season. And obviously it’s a long season, and we’ll see what happens, but new boss Graham Potter has indeed righted the ship at Stamford Bridge.
You could call it the “new manager bounce,” as the Blues will be, at the very least, top four contenders this season. Up next, in this season of extreme fixture congestion created by having the World Cup at the wrong time, is a London derby at Brentford FC, a side that is pleasantly surprising this season.
Chelsea vs Brentford FC FYIs
Kick off: Wed. Oct 19, 7:30pm, Gtech Community Stadium
Chelsea Starting XI Prediction: go here
After Extra Time Pod: Apple Spotify
PL Position: Chelsea 19 pts, 4th Brentford FC 13 pts, 9th
PL Form: Chelsea WWWWL Brentford FC WLDLW
Result Probability: Chelsea FC win 58% Brentford FC win 19% Draw 23%
Chelsea Team News
The Blues will be without some key players until that World Cup, which means that we won’t see them feature on the club level until Boxing Day, or perhaps even 2023. In case you missed it, it was revealed that defender supreme Reece James will spend the next eight weeks, or more, on the shelf due to the knee injury he suffered against AC Milan last week.
Wesley Fofana (knee) and N’Golo Kante (hamstring) join James as long-term injury absentees. Meanwhile Hakim Ziyech is a doubt here as he recovers from an unspecified illness and Thiago Silva faces a last minute fitness test, after having exited the win at Villa Park, on the weekend, early. The Brazilian is dealing with a minor thigh issue.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Bank (TheSportsBank.Net) and author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” as well as “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He has regularly appeared in WGN, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune, and he co-hosts the After Extra Time podcast, part of Edge of the Crowd Network. Follow him and the website on Twitter and Instagram.