Preview: Chelsea vs Brentford - prediction, team news, lineups

Liam Rosenior will take charge of his first Premier League match as Chelsea head coach when the Blues welcome high-flying Brentford to Stamford Bridge on Saturday afternoon.

The West London duo played out an entertaining 2-2 draw in the reverse fixture at the Gtech Community Stadium four months ago.

Match preview

Following a thumping 5-1 FA Cup victory over Charlton Athletic in his first game in charge as Chelsea boss last weekend, Liam Rosenior tasted defeat in his maiden match at Stamford Bridge as the Blues were beaten 3-2 by London rivals Arsenal in the first leg of their EFL Cup semi-final on Tuesday.

After experiencing mixed results in the space of just four days and with games still coming thick and fast, Rosenior has insisted that his team “have to learn quickly” if they wish to turn their fortunes around on all fronts while supporters continue to chant against the club’s controversial hierarchy.

Chelsea now have five fixtures to prepare for before they do battle with Arsenal again in the second leg, including three in the Premier League against Brentford, Crystal Palace and West Ham, with the Champions League-chasing Blues seeking to climb from their current position of eighth in the table and back into the top four.

The West Londoners have slipped down the table having won only won one of their last nine Premier League matches (D5 L3), conceding the opening goal in each of their last three top-flight fixtures - not since November 2023 have they achieved that in four successive games.

Since Maurizio Sarri in August 2018, only one Chelsea manager has won their first Premier League game in charge of the club (D4 L2) - Graham Potter beating Crystal Palace in October 2022 - and success for Rosenior on Saturday is not a given, as the Blues have won just one of their last eight top-flight clashes with Brentford (D4 L3), a 2-1 win in this exact fixture last season.

Brentford were tipped by many to experience a challenging season following a significant summer of change. However, the Bees have every right to be buzzing right now, as they sit fifth in the table, just two points behind reigning champions Liverpool in fourth, while they are also a whopping 19 points above the drop zone.

Only table-toppers Arsenal (16) have accumulated more PL points in the last six games than Brentford (14), who scored 13 goals across four wins over Wolves, Bournemouth, Everton and Sunderland during this period. They also beat Sheffield Wednesday 2-0 in the FA Cup third round last weekend to extend their winning away run to three games in all competitions.

A fourth-round trip to giant-killers Macclesfield - who knocked out holders Crystal Palace - awaits Brentford next month, but Keith Andrews and co must now shift their focus to a challenging run of five consecutive top-flight fixtures against Chelsea, Nottingham Forest, Aston Villa, Newcastle and Arsenal.

Brentford head into Saturday’s clash with Chelsea having never drawn any of their previous nine league matches at Stamford Bridge, with the Bees recording four wins and five losses - winning three in a row before suffering a 2-1 defeat in their last visit in December 2024.

Success in the capital has been hard to come by for Brentford in recent seasons, as they have lost 11 of their last 15 away London derbies in the Premier League (W3 D1), conceding at least two goals in each defeat. In fact, they have lost each of their last three by a 2-0 scoreline.

Chelsea Premier League form:

Chelsea form (all competitions):

Brentford Premier League form:

Brentford form (all competitions):

Team News

Chelsea’s Levi Colwill (ACL), Romeo Lavia (thigh) and Mykhailo Mudryk (doping suspension) all remain unavailable for selection, while Liam Delap and Jamie Gittens (both illness) remain apart from the squad and are unlikely to be involved this weekend.

Cole Palmer (thigh) and Reece James (hip) are set to return to training after missing the midweek defeat to Arsenal, and a late call will be made on their availability. The same can be said for Malo Gusto (unspecified).

Goalkeeper Robert Sanchez did not cover himself in glory against Arsenal and Rosenior has refused to rule out recalling Filip Jorgensen between the sticks, after insisting that he does not have a “guaranteed No.1”.

Moises Caicedo is available to return from suspension and is set to start at the base of Chelsea’s midfield, while Alejandro Garnacho will be pushing to start on the left flank after scoring a second-half brace as a substitute against Arsenal.

As for Brentford, Josh Dasilva, Fabio Carvalho and Antoni Milambo all remain sidelined with long-term knee injuries, while Jordan Henderson will have an ankle problem assessed ahead of kickoff.

Frank Onyeka is still away with Nigeria at the Africa Cup of Nations, but Burkina Faso’s Dango Ouattara is back and available for selection this weekend, with Andrews to weigh up whether he should throw the attacker straight back into his first XI.

Only Erling Haaland (20) has scored more Premier League goals this season than Bees star Igor Thiago (16), who has netted five times in his last two top-flight outings and is all but certain to lead the line against Chelsea. Ever-present Kevin Schade is set to provide support either as a second striker or from the left flank, depending on Andrews’s formation.

Chelsea possible starting lineup:

Sanchez; James, Fofana, Chalobah, Cucurella; Caicedo, Fernandez; Neto, Palmer, Garnacho; Pedro

Brentford possible starting lineup:

Kelleher; Kayode, Ajer, Collins, Henry; Yarmolyuk, Janelt; Ouattara, Jensen, Schade; Thiago

We say: Chelsea 2-2 Brentford

Both teams have scored in each of Chelsea’s last eight matches across all competitions and another end-to-end contest could be in store this weekend against an in-form Brentford outfit, who will back themselves to make the net ripple at Stamford Bridge.

Considering that the Blues are still adjusting to life under Rosenior and may have a few star names absent, while the Bees are flying high at present, we can see the visitors claiming at least a share of the spoils on this occasion.

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