Venue: Griffin Park
Date: Sunday, 27 January
Kick-off: 1200 GMT
It’s mad really, we should go into this game as out and out favourites but there’s something about our inconsistent form under Rafa Benitez that must make everyone fancy betting against us these days.
Yes, we love the FA Cup usually and yes, we have very little left to play for this season – and yet that didn’t motivate us much midweek against Swansea. Eden Hazard showed more enthusiasm in wrestling with a ball ‘boy’ than our players realistically put into the game, so will they fancy a wet Sunday lunchtime at Brentford?
As ever, we’ll just have to wait and see what we get.
MANAGER’S VIEWS
Brentford manager Uwe Rosler certainly fancies the game today, saying “They will take the game seriously. They can only win the FA Cup and the Europa League and a club like Chelsea has to win trophies each year. Chelsea will still have an extremely strong team. I still think their players will underestimate us. It’s a human reaction. I was as a player the same and I think that is our chance. It’s a game that you will play against a team that is close and it will be a massive, massive motivation for them too.”
SQUAD NEWS
For Brentford, Jake Bidwell is suspended, Kevin O’Connor (ankle) is injured but Harry Forrester returns after being rested against Orient.
For Chelsea, Romeu and Benayoun (both knee) are injured, Eden Hazard starts a three-match ban and David Luiz is ruled out because of an ankle injury. Mikel and Moses remain away on African Cup of Nations duty.
TEAMS
BRENTFORD (Possible line-up): Moore, Hodson, Craig, Dean, Barron, Forshaw, Douglas, Diagouraga, Forrester, Donaldson, Trotta
CHELSEA (Possible line-up): Cech, Azpilicueta, Cahill, Terry, Bertrand, Lampard, Ramires, Marin, Mata, Oscar, Torres
RECENT FORM
BRENTFORD: DDWWLD
CHELSEA: WLWDWD
PREDICTION
Brentford are trying to qualify for the last 16 for the first time in seven seasons, whilst we’re seven-times winners, the current holders and we’ve lifted the trophy in three of the last four seasons. Will that count for anything today or will Rafa continue to rewrite our history books for the section marked ‘horror’?