"Got to win a game, surely" - Mark Lawrenson makes score prediction for Chelsea vs Brentford

Pundit Mark Lawrenson predicted Chelsea will get a 1-0 win over Brentford in their Premier League clash at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday, April 26.

The west Londoners are yet to win a game under caretaker manager Frank Lampard. They have lost all four matches across competitions. Their most recent game ended in a 2-0 defeat against Real Madrid in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals. They lost the tie 4-0 on aggregate.

Speaking about Chelsea's upcoming game, Lawrenson wrote his prediction for PaddyPower:

"Frank Lampard’s got to win a game, surely?! I’m going to go for Chelsea to win this. Brentford took them apart at Stamford Bridge last season but not this time."

The Blues are 11th in the Premier League table heading into the contest with 39 points from 31 games. Brentford, meanwhile, are 10th with 44 points from 32 games.

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Chelsea manager Frank Lampard on squad rotation

Ahead of the clash against Brentford, Chelsea manager Frank Lampard was asked about possibly rotating his side. There are players like Carney Chukwemeka, Dennis Zakaria, and more who are looking to get more chances in the first XI.

Speaking about rotating his side, Lampard claimed that anyone who deserves a spot will get their chance. The caretaker manager told the media (via the Blues' website):

"If they deserve it, for sure. There’s the individual work of showing that you deserve it and I’m fully for that. In my first period at the club I came in with a transfer ban and losing big players and everyone said of course the young players would get in the team. They got in the team because of how they trained and those things and that’s a culture you need at a football club and not something that should change just for the moment."

Lampard further added:

"Every day in training is an opportunity now to try and show you deserve to be in the team I’ve shown as a coach, if you do that you’ll always get an opportunity with me."

Given the Blues' position in the league, it's highly unlikely that they will secure a place in European football next season. Hence, these games could give Lampard the chance to be flexible with his strategies and hand lesser-used players more first-team berths.