Brentford welcome west London neighbours Chelsea to Gtech Community Stadium on Friday night (8pm kick-off).
Ahead of the Premier League meeting, we spoke with Bobby Vincent, senior Chelsea correspondent for Mirror Sport and football.london, about the Blues’ start under Xabi Alonso, their key threats and what the Bees can expect.
Chelsea won two of their first three Premier League games. What did you make of their start to the 2026/27 season?
It has been a really good start overall. The defeat at Arsenal can happen to any team – it is the most difficult game in the Premier League at the moment.
One thing is for sure: Xabi Alonso’s Chelsea team are exciting to watch. Some supporters, though, might want the games to be less chaotic.
Thus far, the Blues have been unable to really grab control of a game, and that is the next step.
For the second time in four seasons, Chelsea are not involved in European competition. Can that be spun into a positive, particularly with a new manager in charge?
It can be a positive, of course. Alonso will have more time on the training pitch to work with his squad. Chelsea will, naturally, be disappointed not to be involved in any European competition but it can have its benefits.
We saw that with Antonio Conte’s title-winning team in 2016/17, the season after they finished 10th under Guus Hiddink.
"Xabi Alonso’s Chelsea team are exciting to watch. Some supporters, though, might want the games to be less chaotic"
What do the board and the fanbase expect Xabi Alonso to deliver this season and beyond?
Realistically, Chelsea do not look quite on Arsenal’s level yet - and they look like this season’s champions, even at this early point. For the Blues, it is about being the best of the rest.
I think if you were to ask the majority of the supporters, they would be delighted with a top-four finish, which they last achieved two seasons ago.
The board want to see Champions League football return to Stamford Bridge as well. It is Alonso’s first season in charge, so a title challenge is not expected.
Which player should Brentford be keeping an eye out for on Friday night?
There are a few obvious ones to pick from, but I will choose Morgan Rogers. The England international has made a fantastic start to life with Chelsea after he signed from Aston Villa in July for £117m – making him the most expensive English player of all time.
Rogers’ link-up play with João Pedro and Cole Palmer has been particularly pleasing and Brentford will have a big job on their hands if they are to nullify the threat from the Blues’ left-hand side.
What should Keith Andrews’ men expect in terms of shape and style?
It is a difficult one to predict because Alonso has kept us guessing with either 3-4-3 or 4-2-3-1. I would expect the former.
That is what we have seen more of in the early part of the season. It allows Chelsea to have plenty of players in attacking positions but, as we have seen so far this season, the Blues are susceptible to being counter attacked.
What’s your score prediction?
I feel like - and I might be wrong - that it is more often than not a draw when these sides play at the Gtech, so I will go with the same. A thrilling 2-2 draw.