Brentford bid to maintain their unbeaten start to the season against West London rivals Chelsea in the Premier League.
Brentford vs Chelsea: Premier League Preview, Gameweek 5, 2026
Igor Thiago and Jorrel Hato contest for the ball, September 2025 (Photo by Harry Murphy / Getty Images)
Brentford and Chelsea face off in a West London derby under the lights as the fifth round of the 2026/27 Premier League season gets underway at the Gtech Community Stadium on Friday evening.
Keith Andrews’ Brentford side have enjoyed an unbeaten start to the new season, winning one and drawing three of their opening four Premier League games, currently sitting seventh in the Premier League table.
Visitors Chelsea have never lost a game at the Gtech Community Stadium, and sit one place above the Bees in sixth, having won two, drawn one and lost one of Xabi Alonso’s opening four league fixtures in charge.
Last season’s clash between the two sides at the Gtech Community Stadium ended in a 2-2 draw. Kevin Schade had given Brentford an early lead before second half goals from Cole Palmer and Moises Caicedo saw Chelsea come from behind to lead, only for a dramatic late equaliser from Fabio Carvalho to ensure a share of the spoils.
Team news
Chelsea
Joao Pedro, who has started the season in scintillating form, is a major doubt for Chelsea. The striker pulled out of international duty with Brazil through injury, and whilst Xabi Alonso has not completely ruled the 24-year-old out of the game, it seems very unlikely he will feature.
Joao Pedro with the August Premier League Player of the Month award (Photo by Darren Walsh / Getty Images)
Joao Pedro with the August Premier League Player of the Month award (Photo by Darren Walsh / Getty Images)
Club captain Reece James is also likely to miss the fixture with the Bees after injury ruled him out of Thomas Tuchel’s latest England squad.
Jordan Henderson, who joined Chelsea from Brentford in the summer, is pushing for a return to action from the wrist injury he suffered at the World Cup.
Emmanuel Emegha and summer signing Marco Palestra are both in line for inclusion in the matchday squad, whilst the Blues are hopeful Moises Caicedo will be ready to feature having missed their last three of their four league games this season.
Brentford
Brentford have no fresh injury concerns from Tuesday’s Carabao Cup win over Reading.
Antoni Milambo could feature in an Under 21 Friday evening fixture with Manchester United as he continues his recovery from an ACL injury.
Antoni Milambo pre-match vs AFC Bournemouth, August 2025 (Photo by Justin Setterfield / Getty Images)
Antoni Milambo pre-match vs AFC Bournemouth, August 2025 (Photo by Justin Setterfield / Getty Images)
Young Belgian striker Kaye Furo underwent successful surgery on a metatarsal injury on Monday.
Nathan Collins, Mathias Jensen, Sepp Van den Berg and Josh Dasilva all remain out.
Predicted lineups
Chelsea
Martinez; Fofana, Lacroix, Colwill; Neto, Lavia, Barco, Chavarria; Palmer, Welbeck, Rogers
Brentford
Kelleher; Hickey, Schuster, Ajer, Diouf; Sangare, Janelt; Anthony, Yarmoliuk, Schade; Thiago
Key players
Chelsea: Cole Palmer
Cole Palmer celebrates his goal vs Fulham (Photo by Darren Walsh / Getty Images)
Cole Palmer celebrates his goal vs Fulham (Photo by Darren Walsh / Getty Images)
Chelsea’s number 10 has started the season in superb fashion, scoring four goals and picking up two assists in all competitions so far, and was rewarded on Friday morning with a deserved recall to Thomas Tuchel’s England squad.
In the expected absence of Joao Pedro, Cole Palmer’s attacking responsibility will only increase as Xabi Alonso’s side look to hurt Brentford with their attacking talent, having scored 17 goals in six games in all competitions this campaign.
Palmer was on the scoresheet in both of Chelsea’s games against the Bees last season, and will no doubt have an important part to play if Chelsea are to head into the international break with a win.
Brentford: Igor Thiago
Igor Thiago in Brentford's 1-1 draw with Sunderland (Photo by NurPhoto / Getty Images)
Igor Thiago in Brentford's 1-1 draw with Sunderland (Photo by NurPhoto / Getty Images)
After a sensational campaign in which he scored 22 Premier League goals last season, Brazilian striker Igor Thiago heads into Friday night’s West London derby goalless in the opening four games of the 2026/27 Premier League season.
In his pre-match press conference, head coach Keith Andrews was resolute in his backing of the 25-year-old, stating: “We shouldn’t lose sight of what he achieved last season and the mountain he climbed to do what he did for us.”
“We value him so much as a player, not just because of his goals. He’s in a good place and he’s enjoying his football. He loves being here and we love having him here.”
With Thiago, there will very much be belief from fans in the phrase that form is temporary and class is permanent, and if there was ever a time to re-discover his best goalscoring form, a Friday night derby game is a pretty good game to do it against a Chelsea defence that has leaked nine goals in its opening four league games…
Match details
Where is the game being played?
Brentford will host Chelsea at the Gtech Community Stadium.
Brentford's Gtech Community Stadium under the lights (Photo by Alex Pantling / Getty Images)
Brentford's Gtech Community Stadium under the lights (Photo by Alex Pantling / Getty Images)
What time is kick-off?
The game is scheduled for 8 PM BST on Friday.
How can I watch?
The match is being broadcast live on Sky Sports in the UK, with coverage due to be shown on both Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League channels.