Uncertainty over what to expect from each team - and therefore each game - is likely to be a feature of the upcoming weeks, and it is particularly prevalent in this match with both clubs at different stages of a COVID outbreak.
Chelsea's strength in depth is formidable, but even that is being stretched at the moment and Brentford may not get many better chances to get one over their neighbours, although they too are likely to be far from full strength.
We are backing the visitors to just about edge this one, but if they are to reach the semi-finals then they will need to overcome plenty of adversity en route.
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Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Chelsea win with a probability of 49.24%. A win for Brentford had a probability of 25.43% and a draw had a probability of 25.3%.
The most likely scoreline for a Chelsea win was 0-1 with a probability of 11.5%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-2 (9.4%) and 0-2 (8.98%). The likeliest Brentford win was 1-0 (7.72%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.04%). The actual scoreline of 0-2 was predicted with an 9% likelihood. Our team at Sports Mole and our data analysis both correctly predicted that Chelsea would win this match.
