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PL Predictions: Brentford to expose 'soft' Chelsea

Chelsea's struggles against physical opponents and set pieces pose a significant challenge ahead of their Friday night trip to Brentford. Since the start of the previous campaign, the Blues hold the second-worst record among continuous top-flight clubs by allowing 0.5 set-piece goals per match, a weakness previously shown when Hull City scored off a corner after Emiliano Martínez mishandled the ball.

Meanwhile, the Bees have created an average of 0.73 expected goals from dead-ball scenarios across the clubs' last three encounters, prompting predictions of a 2-1 home victory with Brentford priced at even money in the draw no bet market.

Elsewhere, Tottenham's upcoming Saturday lunchtime fixture against Aston Villa is tipped to produce few goals amid serious attacking struggles. Spurs have failed to find the net in four Premier League outings while generating an expected goals rate of just 0.95 per contest.

That drought reflects poorly on manager Roberto De Zerbi, whose Tottenham side manages an average of 0.73 goals per game—a stark drop from the 1.92 per game his squads posted during his tenures at Brighton and Marseille.

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