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PL Predictions: Brentford to expose 'soft' Chelsea

Ahead of their Friday night encounter, Chelsea's ongoing defensive frailty against dead-ball situations could prove costly against Brentford. Among the seventeen clubs continually present in the top flight since the previous campaign commenced, the Blues rank second worst with an average concession rate of 0.5 set-piece goals each match, a flaw recently highlighted when Hull City scored from a corner after Emi Martinez mishandled a cross.

Thomas Frank's squad has consistently punished this weakness, generating 0.73 expected goals per contest from restarts across the sides' last three clashes, leading to a projected 2-1 victory for the home side with Brentford priced at even money in the draw no bet category.

Attention also turns to Saturday's early kickoff between Tottenham and Aston Villa, where statistical trends signal a low-scoring affair. Spurs have failed to find the net across four consecutive league outings while managing merely 0.95 expected goals per match.

Roberto De Zerbi has overseen a sharp decline in offensive production, recording only 0.73 goals per fixture at Tottenham compared to the 1.92 per game his squads typically generated during stints managing Brighton and Marseille.

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