Brentford vs Chelsea: Match preview, lineups, quotes, form, injuries and how to watch

When and where to watch Brentford vs Chelsea

Brentford vs Chelsea kicks off at 7.30pm on Wednesday 19 October.

You can watch all the action from the Community Stadium on Prime Video via BT TV.

Brentford vs Chelsea match preview

Graham Potter’s Chelsea revolution is well underway. The Blues are unbeaten since Solihull’s greatest tactician took over from Thomas Tuchel last month, winning their last five in all competitions.

Suddenly, Chelsea don’t look too far off the pace set by the Premier League’s frontrunners. They sit fourth, with a game in hand on Tottenham and Manchester City above them.

All is well, for now, but a trip to Brentford is always a tricky prospect and sustaining this form beyond the ‘new manager bounce’ will be the next test for Potter’s team.

Chelsea have certainly not been infallible or without vulnerabilities in recent weeks despite their impressive run of results.

Kepa Arrizabalaga made several remarkable saves to keep his side ahead in last weekend’s 2-0 victory over Aston Villa, allowing Mason Mount to score a match-winning brace. But it was often worryingly easy for the home side to cut through Chelsea’s defence.

Brentford, capable of putting teams to the sword on home soil, will hope to exploit any potential weaknesses. And the visitors will need to be wary of avoiding a Manchester United-esque embarrassment against the Bees.

That seems unlikely, given the control Potter’s Chelsea have generally had in recent matches. They will hope the number of chances created by Villa was nothing more than an anomaly.

Brentford will be looking to build on their 2-0 win against Brighton last time out, a game won thanks largely to the brilliance of Ivan Toney, who scored twice, and the excellent shot-stopping of David Raya.

Both will need to be at the top of their game on Wednesday night.

Brentford vs Chelsea predicted lineups

Brentford (4-3-3): Raya; Ajer, Pinnock, Mee, Henry, Jensen, Janelt, Onyeka, Mbeumo, Toney, Wissa

Chelsea (3-4-2-1): Kepa; Azpilicueta, Chalobah, Koulibaly, Loftus-Cheek, Jorginho, Kovacic, Chilwell, Sterling, Mount, Aubameyang

Brentford vs Chelsea: Injuries and suspensions

Brentford will be without Thomas Strakosha and Aaron Hickey, while Christian Norgaard remains out with an Achilles injury and Pontus Jansson has a hamstring problem.

Other than that, Thomas Frank has no new injuries to contend with and could name an unchanged side from the Brighton victory.

Chelsea are monitoring the condition of Thiago Silva, who has a potential thigh issue after the Villa win.

Hakim Ziyech could make a return to the squad after missing the Milan double header and Villa clash through illness, while Reece James is set to be out until after the World Cup.

Brentford vs Chelsea: Form guide

Chelsea sit at the very top of the six-match form table at the moment, with five wins during that period.

Potter has taken no time to translate his ideas to an obviously talented group of players, and the results have been almost instantaneous. 

The Blues, under their new manager, haven’t conceded a goal in four matches - albeit thanks to some miraculous work from Kepa - and look a more efficient, disciplined team already.

Brentford, meanwhile, are consistently inconsistent, unable to string together a run of wins.

That won’t be overly concerning for Bees’ supporters, as long as they pick up enough points to stay clear of an anxious relegation battle. 

Frank’s side have eight points from their last six games, winning two, drawing two and losing two. They are difficult to predict, but Chelsea, on current form, should head into this game with plenty of self-belief.

He said what?!

Graham Potter has praised the performances of Mason Mount heading into the Brentford game:

“It's a joy [to work with him]. He’s a fantastic person and loves to play football and the club.

“It's surprising there is a mixed opinion on Mason, from the outside and when you work with him you know he has everything to be a top player.”

Brentford vs Chelsea: Last time they met

Brentford produced one of the most memorable victories in their history the last time these two clubs met.

With Chelsea’s season petering out and a top four finish all but secured, a more energetic, purposeful Brentford side got the better of their opposition in all departments at Stamford Bridge.

Vitaly Janelt scored twice and Christian Eriksen starred with a goal and a performance of real class in midfield.

The latter is no longer playing for the Bees, but Chelsea will need no reminders of what this Brentford outfit can do.

Brentford vs Chelsea: Players to watch

Toney is the talismanic figure at the front of the pitch for Brentford and appears to be getting better and better. His two goals against Brighton, the first a deft flick into the bottom corner and the second a coolly-taken penalty, summed up his qualities.

Gareth Southgate will, no doubt, be keeping a close eye on the 26-year-old, who has eight goals in ten Premier League appearances this season.

Goalkeeper Raya could be at the forefront of things again on Wednesday night, too, after his immaculate display of acrobatics and reflexes at the weekend.

The Spaniard is a vital player for Brentford and Chelsea’s finishing will need to be precise.

For the visitors, Mount is the man of the moment after his two goals at Villa and some superb performances in the Champions League of late.

The midfielder continues to prove his importance to this Chelsea team and is already, it seems, a favourite of Potter’s.

Brentford vs Chelsea: Key stats

• Brentford are looking to win back-to-back league games against Chelsea for the first time February 1939, following their 4-1 win at Stamford Bridge in April.

• Chelsea have won their last five games in all competitions, winning each of the last four without conceding. They last had a longer winning run while keeping a clean sheet each time in January/February 2007 (6). 

• Chelsea have won all three of their Premier League games under Graham Potter; there have been seven occasions of a manager winning each of their first four in charge of a club, with four of those being at Chelsea (Mourinho, Hiddink, Ancelotti, Sarri). 

• Ivan Toney has scored six goals in his last five Premier League games, accounting for 75% of Brentford’s total in these matches (6/8). Overall, Toney has scored 30% of the Bees’ Premier League goals, the highest percentage of any player for a team in the competition.

• Mason Mount has been involved in four goals in his last two Premier League appearances for Chelsea (2 goals, 2 assists), one more than he had in his previous 13 combined (1 goal, 2 assists).