Chelsea travel across west London on Friday night looking to end one of the stranger runs in their recent Premier League history.
Xabi Alonso’s side face Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium at **8pm on Friday 18 September**, with the game live on Sky Sports in the UK. It will be Alonso’s first meeting with Keith Andrews since replacing Enzo Maresca at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea arrive with plenty of attacking threat but questions remain about their defensive reliability after conceding twice against Hull City last weekend.
Brentford offer a particularly uncomfortable test because few sides are better equipped to expose mistakes from long throws, aerial duels and second balls.
Alonso’s first visit to the Gtech may therefore provide the clearest examination yet of the work Chelsea have done on defending set pieces.
Chelsea looking to end remarkable Brentford away sequence
---------------------------------------------------------
Chelsea have **drawn their last four visits to Brentford**.
Their most recent victory at the Gtech came in October 2021, when Ben Chilwell scored the only goal of a 1-0 win under Thomas Tuchel.
Yet the record is unusual rather than overwhelmingly negative.
Chelsea have not actually lost a league game away to Brentford since **1938**, extending that unbeaten sequence to nine matches across all competitions with last season’s draw.
The most recent Gtech meeting finished **2-2 in September 2025**.
Kevin Schade put Brentford ahead before Cole Palmer and Moises Caicedo turned the match around. Caicedo’s 86th-minute strike appeared to have won it for Chelsea until Fabio Carvalho equalised in the fourth minute of stoppage time.
How that equaliser arrived matters ahead of Friday.
A long throw reached Kristoffer Ajer, whose flick-on was finished by Carvalho at the back post.
Brentford had worked that exact type of second-ball movement on the training ground.
Chelsea have therefore already been warned.
Brentford long throws provide major Chelsea test
------------------------------------------------
Michael Kayode has developed into one of the Premier League’s most dangerous long-throw specialists.
Brentford scored **five league goals from throw-ins last season**, with Kayode’s deliveries either creating or directly causing 40 attempts on goal across the campaign.
That creates several problems simultaneously.
Chelsea must win the initial header, protect the area around the second contact and track runners attacking loose balls inside the penalty area.
Schade provides another physical threat, while Igor Thiago gives Brentford a powerful central target capable of occupying centre-backs and creating space for runners around him.
The German also arrives in form after scoring both goals in Brentford’s **2-2 draw at Bournemouth** last weekend.
Nathan Collins will, however, be missing.
Andrews has confirmed the Brentford captain will not return before the international break because of a calf injury. The Bees boss also indicated Mathias Jensen was unlikely to be available for the Chelsea fixture, although that situation requires a final update before kick-off.
Austin MacPhee faces the challenge Chelsea hired him for
--------------------------------------------------------
The tactical subplot makes Friday particularly interesting.
Chelsea recruited set-piece specialist **Austin MacPhee from Aston Villa** during the summer as part of Alonso’s new coaching staff.
Villa scored **29 goals from set pieces last season**, joint-most in the Premier League, while MacPhee earned a reputation as one of English football’s leading specialists in that area.
Now comes a fixture almost designed to test his influence.
Andrews himself worked as Brentford’s set-play coach before becoming head coach. The Bees remain comfortable turning throw-ins, corners and direct deliveries into sustained pressure.
Chelsea cannot simply defend the first ball.
The danger is what happens afterwards.
That lesson was painfully clear in last season’s 2-2 draw, and the Blues’ recent defensive problems increase the importance of getting those details right.
ReadChelsea has already looked at [the tactical weakness Chelsea could exploit against Brentford](https://readchelsea.com/2026/09/14/brentford-vs-chelsea-tactical-weakness-alonso-can-exploit/), but Friday could ultimately be determined by what happens at the other end.
Palmer, Rogers and Joao Pedro give Chelsea an attacking edge
------------------------------------------------------------
Chelsea should still travel with confidence in their ability to score.
At least one member of the **Cole Palmer, Morgan Rogers and Joao Pedro attacking axis has scored in all four Premier League matches** under Alonso.
Rogers and Palmer were both involved in the opening-day win at Fulham, Joao Pedro and Palmer struck against Brighton, Rogers scored at Arsenal, and Rogers and Joao Pedro were on target against Hull.
That variety makes Chelsea difficult to contain.
Palmer’s movement between the lines can drag midfielders away from their shape, while Rogers carries the ball aggressively into space and Joao Pedro can both link attacks and finish them.
ReadChelsea’s analysis of the [developing Palmer and Joao Pedro partnership](https://readchelsea.com/2026/09/15/cole-palmer-joao-pedro-chelsea-passing-trend/) showed how Alonso’s attacking relationships are beginning to evolve beyond simple positional combinations.
The bigger concern is availability.
Joao Pedro, Reece James and Caicedo were all absent from the portion of Tuesday training shown to the media, while Marco Palestra and Jordan Henderson were involved with the group.
That does not confirm any of the trio will miss Brentford, and Alonso’s Thursday press conference should provide the definitive picture.
Brentford vs Chelsea prediction
-------------------------------
There is little evidence to suggest this will be comfortable.
Brentford protected much of their Premier League side while beating Reading in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday, meaning Chelsea should not expect to encounter an exhausted opponent.
They also remain unbeaten through the opening four league games and possess exactly the kind of direct, physical threat that has caused Chelsea problems.
But Alonso’s side should have the greater individual quality in open play.
If Chelsea can prevent Brentford from repeatedly turning long throws and set pieces into second-phase opportunities, Palmer, Rogers and Joao Pedro have enough creativity to create chances at the other end.
Four consecutive Gtech draws underline how fine the margins tend to be in this fixture.
Chelsea may finally edge them.
### **Prediction: Brentford 1-2 Chelsea**