PRE-MATCH BRIEFING: BRENTFORD V CHELSEA
To complete their cup-tie countdown, club historian Rick Glanvill and club statistician Paul Dutton are joined by former player Clive Walker…
TACTICAL BRIEF
With two Wembley final chances now dashed, Chelsea will be anxious to progress in a competition we defend as champions. Clive Walker runs the rule over our League One hosts.
Key battles
'Despite the disappointment of losing out in the semi-final against Swansea I don't think there will be a mental issues with the Chelsea players, nor do I imagine they will take any lower league opposition for granted.
'You want the following match after a disappointment to be a good result. This is the perfect opportunity to turn things back around and carry on our defence of a great old trophy we always love to win.
'It is going to be a very different experience for many of our players. It'll be a different atmosphere, the facilities will not be as exotic as some they use, and the opposition will be robust and really up for it. As will the crowd - this is a once-in-generation game for them.
'Rafa Benitez will want to win this and will put out a side to take us a step closer. Whether or not he considers this a good time to bring John Terry back I don't know. The manager will know if it's right for him, bearing in mind who at the back needs a rest or an opportunity.
'Brentford will want to be able to tell their grandchildren they did well against the likes of JT, Frank Lampard, Juan Mata. Rafa will be thinking that he also has two tough away league games coming up soon, so there's a balance to be struck.
'But it's the FA Cup, we want to defend it and may consider playing our full-strength starting line-up and hope we can make a good start and bring on some subs to give people a break.
'Young defender Nathan Ake, who has improved all season, maybe deserves a chance. Then Ryan Bertrand, Paulo Ferreira and other more established but less regular players will be hopeful of involvement.
'I saw Brentford play Leyton Orient this week, a 2-2 draw in which they had defender Jake Bidwell sent off. You can see why they have had a good season in League One.
'Manager Uwe Rösler favours a 4-4-2 formation, which generally offers us the advantage of an extra man in midfield.
'There are a few standouts. Goalie Simon Moore (pictured below) was actually released by Farnborough in 2009. But I have seen him a few times and he looks much improved on last season.
'On a cup day you need your goalie in top form. He's not yet Premier League level but he looks to have good hands and positioning. He's a shot stopper, brave and has good reactions. But he sweeps behind his back four very quickly, and that's something we might be able to exploit. Also, he's not the biggest keeper.
'Jonathan Douglas came from Leeds United and has settled down well. He's a box-to-box player, breaks up play and has some experience. He understands the game and is a good captain at the level he plays, a good rallier of the troops, but he has a big job on against the players we are likely to field.
'Harry Forrester looks a handful down the left side week-in, week-out and I think Brentford have a decent attacking partnership. Clayton Donaldson has a great first touch, a good head, and is a straight-out goalscorer. He's not the best with his back to goal, always looking for someone to slip the ball in for him, but he will take chances.
'Paul Hayes is more of a linking, target man who Donaldson drops off. They work well together and our central defenders will know they've been in a game.
'At the back, in League One Tony Craig is an unsung hero, a left-sided centre-back who's brave, game in the air, a solid professional at his level - the sort you love to have in your team. You'd hope Chelsea will provide more quality than he is used to, and he might find it harder against the likes of Demba Ba or Fernando Torres.
'This is a huge local derby and a rare one. The fans won't want to miss it and will make it a special occasion. I just think Chelsea will have too much for the hosts and expect nothing less than a good win.'
Squad fitness news
David Luiz (ankle) and Oriol Romeu (knee) are the two players out for Chelsea.
Brentford will be without midfielder Kevin O'Connor due to an ankle injury and striker Farid El Alagui (knee).
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