Thomas Tuchel did not hold back when vividly describing the emotions attached to the last time Chelsea faced Brentford in the Premier League.
"It was one of the worst moments because they were flying and had lots of belief." Tuchel told reporters on Friday afternoon. "We struggled in the last minutes like crazy, and we needed a lot of luck to escape with three points."
Tuchel is not underselling the unique stress his team was put under back in October in a feisty west London derby. For the last twenty minutes, anxious Chelsea bodies were penned back, huddled together in their own box, and the hosts unrelenting pressure swarmed towards Edouard Mendy's goal, the hostile crowd behind it willing the ball over the line.
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It was on that evening where the Senegalese shot-stopper showcased why he's now regarded as one of Europe's best over the past year, swatting away incoming shots, smothering anything in his vicinity and most impressively, tipping over a vicious overhead kick by Christian Norgaard in added time.
This win was amid a run of games where Tuchel's men firmly found their groove in Autumn. Ben Chilwell, who netted the winner in October's tight game, would soon become a highly productive presence with Reece James as the opposing wingback. Almost six months later, the picture has changed, with any hope of a title charge long gone and Chilwell on the sidelines with an ACL injury since November.
Tuchel knows the direct threat Brentford will pose on Saturday afternoon in the reverse fixture at Stamford Bridge.
"They played for a long period of the season with a back five, but now they play with a 4-3-3. So let's see what they do tomorrow." Tuchel has been a little unpredictable in his formations recently, using a 4-2-3-1, 3-5-2, 3-4-3 and 4-1-4-1 in Chelsea's last three games.
For large periods of October's match, Tuchel used a 3-5-2, with a midfield trio that seemed to contain Brentford's threat until his subs altered it to the more familiar 3-4-2-1.
Tuchel is aiming to win his seventh consecutive win in all competitions, a run held earlier this season. Maximum points would also secure a sixth Premier League win in a row, the best league run since Tuchel arrived.
Eight points clear of fifth place and with a game in hand, extending that run further would get Chelsea a step closer to securing a Champions League qualification spot for next season.
Amid all the off-field uncertainty, Tuchel and his players have acted superbly, rediscovering their mojo at a critical point of the season. The momentum gained pre the international break cannot be allowed to slip and the German will be boosted with a World Cup qualifying duo available.
Both Christian Pulisic and Thiago Silva have previously sat out games directly following an international break due to lengthy travelling commitments from North and South America. Back in October, Silva missed the Brentford game for this reason, whilst Pulisic was injured.
Tuchel did not rule either out of Saturday's clash, giving hope that two of Chelsea's in-form figures will not have to wait for Wednesday's Champions League clash with Real Madrid.
"Thiago is a bit different than Christian because he didn't play the third match against Brazil. He came back one day earlier and didn't have the same jet lag.
"For Christian, we have to decide. He didn't train today. We gave him a recovery session. He was here but very tired with the jet lag and time difference. So we have to figure out of it makes sense to play him tomorrow and for how many minutes."
Silva has arguably been Chelsea's player of the season, reaching levels of unrivalled defensive excellence on a weekly basis, showing little signs he is slowing down despite nearing the age of 40. Pulisic has recently rediscovered his goalscoring knack, netting for Chelsea against Burnley and Lille before performing a sublime hat-trick for the USMT in their defining World Cup qualifier against Panama last Sunday.
It is also noteworthy on the defensive front in that October clash that the back-three Tuchel started with was pretty rare. All under the age of 26 - Andreas Christensen, Trevoh Chalobah and a league debut for Malang Sarr filled in for the injured Antonio Rudiger. A trio that he has not fielded since and is unlikely to again this season.
Tuchel has the rare privilege of going into this game with a mostly fit squad, with only Callum Hudson-Odoi and Chilwell absent. The Blues look in positive shape to continue their recent good run and make sure Brentford's October scares don't fool them again in April.
