Chelsea vs. Brentford: Preview, Predictions and Lineups

A west London derby will be staged on Saturday afternoon when Brentford make the short journey to face Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

The upcoming clash with the Bees will be Liam Rosenior’s first Premier League test after victory in the FA Cup third round was followed by Carabao Cup disappointment at the hands of Arsenal.

Having witnessed ten-player Chelsea’s west London derby defeat to Fulham from the stands, the ex-Strasbourg manager will be hoping for improvements this time around. The loss at Craven Cottage means the Blues enter this weekend’s fixture behind Brentford in the table, sat in eighth but admittedly only four points behind fourth-place Liverpool.

Chelsea have won only four of their ten Premier League home matches this season and will be pushed to their limits by their in-form visitors on Saturday. The Bees sit top of the form table across the past five matches following four wins and a draw, with Igor Thiago posing a particularly significant threat to Rosenior’s men after 16 league goals this term.

What Time Does Chelsea vs. Brentford Kick-Off?

Location: London, England
Stadium: Stamford Bridge
Date: Saturday, Jan. 17
Kick-off Time: 3 p.m. GMT / 10 a.m. ET / 7 a.m. PT
Referee: John Brooks
VAR: Stuart Attwell

Chelsea vs. Brentford Head-to-Head Record (Last Five Games)

Chelsea: 1 win
Brentford: 1 win
Draws: 3

Last meeting: Brentford 2–2 Chelsea (Sept. 13, 2025)—Premier League

Current Form (All Competitions)

Chelsea	Brentford
Chelsea 2–3 Arsenal - 14–01–26	Sheffield Wednesday 0–2 Brentford - 10–01–26
Charlton 1–5 Chelsea - 10–01–26	Brentford 3–0 Sunderland - 07–01–26
Fulham 2–1 Chelsea - 07–01–26	Everton 2–4 Brentford - 04–01–26
Man City 1–1 Chelsea - 04–01–26	Brentford 0–0 Tottenham - 01–01–26
Chelsea 2–2 Bournemouth - 30–12–25	Brentford 4–1 Bournemouth - 27–12–25

How to Watch Chelsea vs. Brentford on TV

Country	TV Channel/Live Stream
United Kingdom	Not televised—audio coverage available on BBC London 94.9, BBC Radio 5 Live, talkSPORT
United States	Peacock, fuboTV
Canada	DAZN Canada, fuboTV Canada, Fubo Sports Network 4 Canada
Mexico	Max Mexico

MORE: Full list of Premier League broadcasters around the world

Chelsea Team News

Reece James and Cole Palmer of Chelsea. — Reece James (left) and Cole Palmer (right) are slight doubts. | Robin Jones/Getty Images

Reece James and Cole Palmer have both been absent with small injuries during Rosenior’s first matches at the helm, but the Chelsea manager has confirmed their return to training on Thursday and has suggested they’re in line to play on Saturday.

Liam Delap and Jamie Gittens are both struggling with illness and could miss out on Brentford’s visit, while Roméo Lavia and Levi Colwill remain sidelined with long-term injuries—although the former is back on the grass in Cobham.

Malo Gusto should be available having missed both cup games, but Mykahilo Mudryk continues to miss out through suspension for failing a drugs test.

Chelsea Predicted Lineup vs. Brentford

Chelsea predicted lineup vs. Brentford (4-2-3-1): Sánchez; James, Fofana, Chalobah, Cucurella; Caicedo, Fernández; Neto, Palmer, Garnacho; Pedro.

Brentford Team News

Brentford will be without Frank Onyeka, who is still representing Nigeria at the Africa Cup of Nations, while Fábio Carvalho and Antoni Milambo are both missing for the rest of the season with ACL tears. Joshua Dasilva is on the road to recovery but is still absent for the Bees.

Jordan Henderson was substituted with an ankle injury in the FA Cup win over Sheffield Wednesday last weekend, but the midfielder could feature in come capacity against Chelsea.

New signing Kaye Furo could make his debut against the Blues, although he’s highly unlikely to start at Stamford Bridge.

Brentford Predicted Lineup vs. Chelsea

Brentford predicted lineup vs. Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Kelleher; Kayode, Ajer, Collins, Henry; Yarmolyuk, Janelt; Jensen, Damsgaard, Schade; Thiago.

Chelsea vs. Brentford Score Prediction

Chelsea have flexed their attacking muscles since Rosenior’s appointment and the 41-year-old is intent on playing free-flowing football to energise the Stamford Bridge crowd. The handbrake will be released against Brentford, but that may come at a cost in defence.

The Blues have conceded three times in Rosenior’s opening two fixtures and will come under fire against the Bees, who have scored 11 in their last four league games. They will look to hurt Chelsea on the counter-attack and should have success in doing so.

It’s likely to be an entertaining local derby in the capital, with Chelsea perhaps shading the clash.