Chelsea will be desperate to return to winning ways in the Premier League when they welcome Brentford to Stamford Bridge on Saturday.

The 2025/26 Premier League season resumes this weekend with Gameweek 22. The latest round of fixtures starts with the Manchester Derby at Old Trafford before continuing with five simultaneous matches, including Chelsea vs Brentford at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea’s campaign has threatened to spiral out of control in recent weeks, as Enzo Maresca lost his job after a few poor results and run-ins behind the scenes. Liam Rosenior took over as the new head coach last weekend and guided the West London club to a 5-1 win over Charlton Athletic.

However, the Blues followed that up with a 3-2 defeat to Arsenal in the EFL Cup semi-final first leg. Meanwhile, Chelsea’s recent run in the Premier League has been frustrating, as they have won only one of their last nine top-flight outings (D5 L3), thus dropping to ninth on the table.

On the other hand, Brentford’s rise under Keith Andrews has been mind-boggling, as the Bees lost their two best players in the summer but have still been better than last season. Igor Thiago’s exceptional form has powered the West London club to fifth in the Premier League standings, and they are on a six-game unbeaten run in the top flight (W4 D2). They also progressed to the FA Cup fourth round by beating Sheffield United 2-0.

The reverse fixture saw Chelsea and Brentford come from a goal down once each to play out a 2-2 draw at the Gtech Community Stadium. The Hard Tackle looks closer at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.

Team News & Tactics

Chelsea

Liam Rosenior has no new issues hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture. The Chelsea manager may be bereft of the services of as many as nine first-team players vs Brentford on Saturday.

Rosenior has been sweating over the fitness of Malo Gusto, Reece James, Jamie Gittens, Cole Palmer, and Liam Delap, with the quintet recovering from minor issues. However, Levi Colwill (knee), Romeo Lavia (hamstring), and Dario Essugo (thigh) remain in the treatment room.

Additionally, Mykhailo Mudryk continues his suspension after failing a doping test over a year ago. However, there is some positive news, as Moises Caicedo is available after serving a suspension in the EFL Cup clash with Arsenal earlier this week.

Robert Sanchez is an automatic pick between the sticks, with Chelsea lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him vs Brentford on Saturday. The backline will feature Reece James, Wesley Fofana, Trevoh Chalobah, and Marc Cucurella.

As for the midfield unit, there is no looking past Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez, with Cole Palmer reprising the no. 10 role. Finally, Joao Pedro will lead the line for Chelsea against Brentford, with Alejandro Garnacho and Pedro Neto being the two wide attackers.

Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Sanchez; James, Fofana, Chalobah, Cucurella; Caicedo, Fernandez; Neto, Palmer, Garnacho; Pedro

Brentford

Like his counterpart in the Chelsea dugout, Keith Andrews has received a positive update on the team news front ahead of the short trip to Stamford Bridge. The Brentford manager may be without only four first-team players on Saturday.

Dango Ouattara is available after returning from the Africa Cup of Nations. Additionally, Jordan Henderson is closing in on returning from a foot injury, although he may not be fit enough to start on Saturday. However, Antoni Milambo, Joshua Dasilva, and Fabio Carvalho remain in the treatment room due to their knee injuries, while Frank Onyeka is still at the AFCON with Nigeria.

Caoimhin Kelleher is an automatic pick between the sticks, with Brentford lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him vs Chelsea on Saturday. The backline will feature Michael Kayode, Kristoffer Ajer, Nathan Collins, and Rico Henry.

As for the midfield unit, there is no looking past Yehor Yarmolyuk and Vitaly Janelt, with Jordan Henderson a backup option on the bench. Mathias Jensen will reprise the no. 10 role, with Kevin Schade and Dango Ouattara being the two wide attackers. Finally, Igor Thiago will spearhead the Brentford attack against Chelsea this weekend.

Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Kelleher; Kayode, Ajer, Collins, Henry; Yarmolyuk, Janelt; Ouattara, Jensen, Schade; Thiago

Key Stats

• Chelsea have won just one of their last eight Premier League games vs Brentford (D4 L3), a 2-1 victory in the corresponding fixture in the 2024/25 season. None of Brentford’s nine away league games against Chelsea have ended in a draw, with the Bees winning four and losing five.
• Chelsea have only won one of their nine most recent Premier League games (D5 L3), while they have conceded the opening goal in their last three top-flight outings; they last did so in four successive matches in November 2023.
• Brentford have lost 11 of their 15 most recent away London derbies in the Premier League (W3 D1), conceding at least twice in each defeat. They have lost their last three by a 2-0 scoreline. However, the Bees are on a six-game unbeaten streak in the Premier League (W4 D2), only enjoying longer runs without a defeat in the competition in March 2023 (12 games) and September 2023 (7).
• Only Manchester City (40.2) and Manchester United (38.3) have a higher xG total in the Premier League this season than Chelsea (37.3). However, they rank 17th for their differential between goals (34) and their xG (-3.3).
• Only Manchester City (52%) and Arsenal (43.8%) have spent a larger amount of time in a winning game state than Brentford (37.2%) in the Premier League this season. Meanwhile, the Bees lead the competition for goals (13) and expected goals (10.6) in the final 15 minutes of matches in 2025/26.
• Liam Rosenior will take charge of his first Premier League match; since Maurizio Sarri in August 2018 (3-0 win over Huddersfield Town), only one head coach has won his first Premier League game in charge of Chelsea (D4 L2), with Graham Potter beating Crystal Palace in October 2022 (D4 L2 including interims).

Player to Watch

Igor Thiago

Embed from Getty Images

While Cole Palmer, Enzo Fernandez, and Kevin Schade were viable candidates for this section, we have picked Igor Thiago as the Player to Watch for Saturday’s Premier League clash between Chelsea and Brentford at Stamford Bridge.

The Brazilian striker is one of the most in-form players in the Premier League right now, and he has scored five goals in his last two top-flight outings. That has made him a popular FPL pick in our recommendations for Gameweek 22, including the captaincy conundrum list.

Additionally, no Premier League duo has combined for more goals this season than Igor Thiago and Kevin Schade (4), with the German assisting three of the Brazilian’s goals. In 2025/26, only Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard (16), Morgan Rogers and Ollie Watkins (16), and Rayan Cherki and Erling Haaland (14) have created more chances for one another than the Brentford pair (13). So, they will be the go-to players for Keith Andrews this weekend.

Prediction

Chelsea 2-2 Brentford

Chelsea’s defensive woes have not gone away since Liam Rosenior took over as the head coach, and Keith Andrews will know different ways to exploit the home side’s weaknesses. However, the Blues have looked more potent in the final third, and they will take the game to the visitors this weekend.

Cole Palmer and Enzo Fernandez will make the difference for the hosts, but they will not do enough to clinch all three points. Instead, Igor Thiago and Kevin Schade will continue their impressive runs of form to secure a point for their team. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-2 draw for Saturday’s West London Derby at Stamford Bridge.