If Brentford are to spring an Emirates FA Cup shock against Chelsea on Saturday, then Nico Yennaris will need to keep Cesc Fabregas quiet.
And the defensive midfielder is hoping that some inside knowledge can help him do just that.
Yennaris joined Brentford from Arsenal back in 2014 but, after coming through the Gunners academy, the 23-year-old trained alongside Fabregas before the Spaniard left the Emirates Stadium for Barcelona.
Chelsea’s attacking dynamo is a World Cup, European Championship, Premier League, La Liga and FA Cup winner but Yennaris is relishing the opportunity to challenge himself against some of the world’s best at Stamford Bridge.
He said: “They have got some World Cup winners in there and players who have played at the highest level.
"Myself and Cesc trained together at Arsenal a few times before he left for Barcelona. We all know the qualities that he has and how good a footballer he is. It will be a good test for me.
“I will try and remember what he used to do in training but you see, week in week out, what he can produce.
“His passing range and vision is second to none. If you give him time he will pick a pass so I’ll have to try and stop that.”
The Bees are mid-table in the Championship, while the Blues are currently eight points clear at the top of the Premier League.
The underdogs leaving Stamford Bridge with a place in the fifth round draw would be an incredible accomplishment and Yennaris has already had some fans outside of west London urging him on.
He added: “When I saw the draw and tweeted it, I did get a few Arsenal fans tweet me and say that I have to do Chelsea over to help them out.
“People will expect Chelsea to win the game but if we go there, enjoy it and play with freedom, then you’ve seen that The FA Cup is full of surprises.”
FA Cup history
These sides met at the fourth round stage of this competition back in 2013 but Brentford will be hoping for a markedly different result after Chelsea prevailed 4-0 that day.
The Bees are four-time FA Cup quarter-finalists, the last of which came in the 1988-89 season when they lost 4-0 to Liverpool, while Chelsea have lifted the famous old trophy on seven occasions – most recently in 2012.
Did you know?
It has been 78 years since Brentford last beat Chelsea. Tommy Cheetham grabbed a double as the Bees triumphed 3-1 at Stamford Bridge way back in 1939.
One to watch
Brentford captain Harlee Dean. The 25-year-old centre back came through Dagenham & Redbridge’s academy before earning a move to Southampton in 2010 and joining Brentford two years later.
In November 2015 he won the Football League’s Unsung Hero of the Month award after witnessing a young supporter being hit by a car outside Griffin Park. He ran back to the ground to fetch club doctor Matt Stride and the duo then took charge of the situation until an ambulance arrived.
The prize
The winner of this clash will reach the last-16 stage and pick up £90,000 from The FA's prize fund.
