Brentford vs Chelsea Match Preview – Premier League 2025/26 | Form, Injuries, Lineups and Prediction | OneFootball

Brentford vs Chelsea Match Preview: Chelsea finish off their run of four London derbies in their four opening games with a visit to 15th-placed Brentford, hoping to cap off a good start to the season with another win which could place them top of the table. As for Brentford, a disappointing start following Mbuemo, Wissa and Thomas Frank all leaving the club has left them 15th after the international break and looking uninspired so far aside from a win against Aston Villa.

Brentford vs Chelsea Match Preview and Current Form

Brentford have had a relatively poor start to the season aside from a 1-0 win over Aston Villa, thanks to an early goal from debutant and club record signing Dango Ouattara. They did beat Bournemouth 2-0 in the Carabao Cup but have not faced any ‘Big 6’ teams yet. A disappointing loss against Sunderland in their last outing will have knocked their confidence but they will hope to grab a result against Chelsea, having held them to a draw in April.

As for Chelsea, they have had a flying start to the season aside from an opening-day draw against Crystal Palace. Beating Fulham 2-0, albeit controversially, and thumping West Ham 5-1 shows their dominance in London derbies. They will be expecting nothing but a win going into Saturday; however, there is a chance that Maresca decides to rotate the squad due to some upcoming fixture congestion.

Head-to-Head

The recent head-to-head record between the two clubs is actually very even, with both clubs having three wins and three draws since October 2021. Chelsea’s last win away to Brentford came in December 2021 but they beat the Bees 2-1 at home in December 2024.

Injuries and Suspensions

Brentford

Gustavo Gomes – Hamstring injury, doubtful

Vitaly Janet – Heel injury, expected back late September

Yunus Emre Konak – Sprained ankle, expected back mid September

Chelsea

Benoît Badiashile – Leg injury, expected back mid September

Cole Palmer – Groin injury, doubtful

Dario Essugo – Thigh injury, expected back late November

Levi Colwill – ACL injury, expected back April 2026

Liam Delap – Hamstring injury, expected back mid November

Romeo Lavia – Strain, doubtful but has been in training this week

Manager Quotes

Keith Andrews (Brentford): “There’ll be a narrative around the game that we’re little Brentford and they’re Chelsea, but I like that, it suits where we are and the steps we need to take to where we want to be.”

Enzo Maresca (Chelsea): “The three Brazilian players arrived yesterday but didn’t train. Moi arrived last night – I didn’t see him, I will see him today. For all of them it is a question mark for tomorrow. When they play in Bolivia, it’s difficult. Hopefully they can be back soon.”

Predicted Lineups

Brentford (4-2-3-1): Kelleher, Kayode, Van Den Berg, Collins, Lewis-Potter, Onyeka, Yarmoliuk, Damsgaard, Schade, Ouattara, Thiago

Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Sanchez, Gusto, Chalobah, Tosin, Hato, Caicedo, Fernandez, Gittens, Neto, Estêvão, Pedro

Tactical Preview and Key Battles

Brentford will field their strongest team, a very similar one to the squad that beat Aston Villa. Henderson drops out for Onyeka, who has been impressive recently with two assists in his last two games. Onyeka also provides some physicality and defensive security in the midfield to battle with Caicedo. Brentford’s game plan will be to sit back and hit Chelsea on the counter. With quick wingers like Schade and Ouattara, they can transition quickly and spring onto Chelsea mistakes.

Defensively, Brentford will know that Chelsea are weak against low blocks, especially without Cole Palmer. They will stay very compact and use their aerial superiority to nullify the threat of crosses, particularly from Pedro Neto. Damsgaard will be the man to get on the ball after they win it, trying to get balls in behind Chelsea’s high line. Igor Thiago has two goals this season and will be a handful for Tosin and Chalobah.

Chelsea will likely rotate a bit, especially following the international break and considering the upcoming congestion. Reece James sits out for Gusto again, allowing Hato to drop into the back three on the other side. Gusto will play high and wide with Neto, pinning back Lewis-Potter and allowing Estêvão space in the right pocket. The 18-year-old will be Chelsea’s main man in this game with the absence of Cole Palmer, and will look to change the game with his flair and creativity. Gittens can be a threat on the other side but Kayode is solid defensively so this will be a battle to keep an eye on.

Chelsea will have the majority of possession as Brentford will allow them to. This allows them to slowly build up attacks and poke at the Brentford low block. João Pedro will be key to their attack as he likes to drift around the frontline and will likely alternate with Estêvão. Pedro Neto has a cross on him and Pedro’s heading ability has been showcased recently, so Brentford will have to keep an eye on both.

Predicted Scoreline

Brentford 0-3 Chelsea

Chelsea will cruise past an average Brentford side and continue their unbeaten streak this season, while Keith Andrews is left with a headache and will wonder what is going wrong. Chelsea’s attack just looks too good and with options like Garnacho and Guiu off the bench, they have so many ways to look if things are not going their way. Chalobah and Tosin looks like a great partnership too, so a clean sheet seems likely.