Brentford host Chelsea in a West London derby at the Gtech Community Stadium on Friday evening, the final fixture before the international break.
Chelsea sit sixth on seven points after two wins, a draw and a defeat from their opening four league matches, while Brentford are seventh on six points, unbeaten across six matches in all competitions this season. Keith Andrews’s side have won once and drawn three times since their opening-day victory over Tottenham Hotspur, and remarkably have drawn 10 of their last 14 Premier League matches.
Chelsea, who beat Brentford 2-0 at Stamford Bridge in January, have won only once in their last six league away games and enter Friday having drawn 2-2 at home to Hull City last time out. Alonso called Brentford’s home form a “big challenge” ahead of the trip, telling the club’s official site: “They have great strength playing at home, so it’s going to be a big challenge. I saw the game from last year, you learn from everything, and tomorrow is going to be a big test for us.”
Brentford vs Chelsea – Match preview and team news
- Date: Friday, 18 September 2026
- Kick-off: 20:00 BST
- Venue: Gtech Community Stadium
- Referee: Andy Madley
- Last meeting: Chelsea 2-0 Brentford (Premier League, 17 January 2026, Stamford Bridge)
Team news
Brentford
Nathan Collins (calf), Sepp van den Berg (groin), Josh Dasilva (thigh) and Mathias Jensen are all confirmed out, with Andrews saying there are “no new injuries to report” beyond that group. Young striker Kaye Furo, who had surgery on a metatarsal injury on Monday, is reported to be “in a good place” in his recovery. Kevin Schade, who has scored three goals in five appearances this season, continues in the final third.
Chelsea
Joao Pedro’s availability is uncertain: Alonso said on Thursday that “no one is ruled out for us for Friday” and called Pedro’s involvement a “possibility,” though the forward has withdrawn from Brazil’s squad for the international break. Moises Caicedo (calf) is “getting closer” according to Alonso, while decisions on Reece James, Jordan Henderson and Marco Palestra were due on Friday. Danny Welbeck is in line to lead the line if Pedro is unavailable.
Form
Brentford
Brentford have won once and drawn three times in the Premier League this season, most recently a 2-2 draw at Bournemouth, and go into the derby off the back of a 2-1 EFL Cup win over Reading. They remain unbeaten in six matches across all competitions.
Chelsea
Chelsea have won twice, drawn once and lost once in the league, and are the division’s second-highest scorers with 10 goals — though only one side has conceded more than their nine. They beat Leeds United 6-3 in the EFL Cup last week but were held 2-2 by Hull City in their last league outing.
Predicted lineups
Brentford predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Kelleher; Kayode, Schuster, Ajer, Lewis-Potter; Janelt, Sangare; Schade, Yarmolyuk, Anthony; Thiago
Chelsea predicted XI (3-4-2-1): Martinez; Fofana, Lacroix, Colwill; Neto, Lavia, James, Chavarria; Palmer, J. Pedro, Rogers
How to watch Brentford vs Chelsea?
The match will be broadcast live in the United Kingdom on Sky Sports.
Read more – Carrick understands Man United fan frustration after cup exit
See also – Shea Lacey becomes first Man United teen in a decade to score on debut start