Chelsea face their fourth consecutive London rival to start the 2025–26 Premier League season, with Enzo Maresca’s side this time making the short trip to Brentford on Saturday night.
The Blues, having claimed Club World Cup glory in the summer, have started the season unbeaten and are searching for a third-straight win. After being held by Crystal Palace on the opening weekend, Chelsea have thumped West Ham United 5–1 and eased past Fulham 2–0 despite a poor first-half performance.
Their victories have encouragingly come without talisman Cole Palmer, who’s on the comeback trail from a groin injury.
Brentford will hope to be facing a Blues side that are still without the maverick Englishman, with Keith Andrews’ Bees aiming to bounce back from their defeat at Sunderland before the international break. Many projected the west Londoners to struggle, given who they let go of in the summer, but Andrews has notched his first Premier League win since succeeding Thomas Frank.
The Bees edged past the goal-less Aston Villa on Gameweek 2.
Here’s Sports Illustrated’s guide to the game.
Brentford vs. Chelsea Head-to-Head Record (Last Five Games)
Current Form (All Competitions)
Brentford Chelsea
Sunderland 2–1 Brentford - 30/08/25 Chelsea 2–0 Fulham - 30/08/25
Bournemouth 0–2 Brentford - 26/08/25 West Ham 1–5 Chelsea - 22/08/25
Brentford 1–0 Aston Villa - 23/08/25 Chelsea 0–0 Crystal Palace - 17/08/25
Nottingham Forest 3–1 Brentford - 17/08/25 Chelsea 4–1 AC Milan - 10/08/25
Brentford 2–2 Borussia Mönchengladbach - 08/08/25 Chelsea 2–0 Bayer Leverkusen - 08/08/25
Country TV channel/live stream
United Kingdom Sky Go UK, NOW, SKY GO Extra, Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Premier League, Sky Ultra HD
United States fuboTV, nbcsports.com, NBC Sports App, USA Network
Canada DAZN Canada, fuboTV Canada, Fubo Sports Network Canada, Amazon Prime Video
Mexico Max Mexico, TNT Go, Amazon Prime Video, TNT Sports
Vitaly Janelt
Vitaly Janelt is expected to finally return from his heel injury. / Alex Davidson/Getty Images
The hosts have been handed an injury boost ahead of Chelsea’s visit, with midfielder Vitaly Janelt available for selection again, having been out since April with a heel injury.
Michael Kayode was taken ill while on international duty for Italy’s Under-21s, but the dynamic full-back is fit for Saturday’s game.
Paris Maghoma and Gustavo Gomes remain sidelined, but Deadline Day arrival Reiss Nelson will play a part, Andrews has confirmed.
Brentford
Brentford welcome west London rivals Chelsea to the Gtech, / FotMob
Brentford predicted lineup vs. Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Kelleher; Kayode, Collins, Van den Berg, Henry; Henderson, Jensen; Ouattara, Damsgaard, Schade; Thiago.
Cole Palmer
Cole Palmer has missed Chelsea’s previous two league outings with a groin injury. / Catherine Ivill - AMA/Getty Images
Maresca has said that a decision will be made on Palmer after Friday’s training session, but the playmaker may not start anyway, even if he’s deemed fit. The Chelsea boss has to consider the upcoming Champions League fixture away at Bayern Munich on Wednesday.
Liam Delap could be out until December with a hamstring injury, and the Blues are also without long-term absentee Levi Colwill.
Andrey Santos, João Pedro and Estêvão all returned late from international duty, but Chelsea’s injuries may force Santos and Pedro into the XI.
Summer addition Dário Essugo has joined the treatment table, with another midfielder, Roméo Lavia, unlikely to be available this weekend.
Chelsea
Chelsea make the short trip across west London on Saturday night. / FotMob
Chelsea predicted lineup vs. Brentford (4-2-3-1): Sánchez; James, Chalobah, Adarabioyo, Cucurella; Caicedo, Sandro; Neto, Fernández, Gittens; Pedro.
There’s no doubting Chelsea’s superiority from a talent perspective, but we’re going to play on the international break factor here. Several key members of Maresca’s injury-hit squad racked up plenty of air miles travelling to and from South America, meaning the visitors’ preparation hasn’t been ideal.
Brentford, meanwhile, lost key components over the summer, but the early signs, despite losing twice, suggest they’ll remain a sturdy and competent Premier League outfit capable of springing a surprise or two.
Andrews’ men will produce a spirited display under the lights and earn a point.
Prediction: Brentford 1–1 Chelsea
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