Brentford's first west London derby of the season comes when Chelsea travel to Gtech Community Stadium on Saturday (8pm kick-off BST).
The Bees won their only home game of the campaign, beating Aston Villa 1-0, while Enzo Maresca's side are unbeaten in the Premier League this term.
Analysis, team news, match officials and more. Here's everything you need to know before kick-off.
Pre-match Analysis
Stephen Gillett, Playmaker Stats: Palmer's fitness will heavily impact how Chelsea set up at the Gtech
Chelsea have fresh summer signings to blood this Saturday when the second-placed Blues take on Brentford in what promises to be an exciting west London derby.
Alejandro Garnacho is the latest high-profile star to join the reigning world champions and the former Manchester United winger is in contention for a start against the Bees, although Cole Palmer's fitness will heavily influence Enzo Maresca's lineup and tactics.
Recently sidelined with a groin injury, talisman Palmer has been sensational since joining from Manchester City two seasons ago, registering an incredible 56 goal involvements (37 goals and 19 assists) in the top flight, and the England international remains the star of the show at Stamford Bridge.
Yet Chelsea’s resurgence has not rested solely on their talisman. The impact of two other signings from the 2023/24 campaign has been just as important in shaping Maresca’s side.
Both Moisés Caicedo and Enzo Fernández took time to settle after mega-money moves from Brighton and Benfica. However, the midfield duo excelled as Chelsea finished fourth domestically last term and they were again central as the Blues lifted the newly-formatted Club World Cup in July.
The in-form João Pedro has won plenty of plaudits after his fast start to life at Chelsea, and the Brazilian struck the Blues' opening goal in a 2-0 win over Fulham prior to the international break. However, Caicedo delivered arguably the outstanding moment of Chelsea's victory 15 minutes prior to Pedro's goal.
A flowing move down the Cottagers' right flank saw the ball played into the path of Fulham full-back Timothy Castagne, who looked destined to score from 10 yards out - until Caicedo charged across the penalty area to make a sensational block.
It was a game-changing moment from the Ecuadorian, who also won the ball prior to Chelsea's second goal, and the 23-year-old currently leads the Premier League for tackles and interceptions combined this season.
Fernández made a similarly weighty contribution to that win over Marco Silva's men. The architect of Pedro's goal, Fernández coolly converted a second-half penalty to secure all three points, and the Argentine (five goals and four assists) has now been Chelsea's most productive player in the Premier League since the turn of the year.
Caicedo and Fernández's fantastic blend of tenacity and poise sets the tone for Chelsea, and the Blues' ability to probe from one side of the pitch to the other sets up an interesting clash in playing styles.
While Chelsea have opted to control games by stringing passes together, Keith Andrews' Bees have exerted control out of possession and played more directly.
The Blues top the Premier League for average possession (61 per cent) and sequences of 10+ passes (50). Early season data also shows they cycle a higher share of passes left (31.7 per cent) and right (29.7 per cent) than any other side; in contrast, Brentford (40.4 per cent) have played a higher share of their passes forward than any team.
In this context, Reiss Nelson’s arrival in TW8 gives Brentford added variety in the final third. The Arsenal loanee’s ability to stretch play while offering control in possession could bring unpredictability and balance, if he features.
A samba showdown between Brentford striker Igor Thiago and his compatriot Pedro is another highlight, profiled in Saturday's matchday programme.
Both players are in fine fettle, and Pedro (two goals, two assists) and Jack Grealish (four assists) are the only Premier League players with more goal involvements than Thiago (two goals, one assist) across all competitions this season.
Brentford will aim to stifle Chelsea and lean into their own strengths this Saturday with a considerable prize at stake: the scalp of the reigning world champions.
Scout Report
Dan Long, Sky Sports: Chelsea have momentum heading into west London derby
In the lead-up to the previous meeting between Brentford and Chelsea in April, a question was posed: did Chelsea have what it would take to achieve a first top-four finish since 2021/22 and glory in the UEFA Conference League?
Six wins from the last nine - a run where they beat Tottenham, Liverpool, Manchester United and Nottingham Forest - ensured they ticked off the first, though it was not until the final day that that spot was locked in.
Just three days after the curtain came down on the 2024/25 Premier League season, they became the first club in history to win all four major UEFA trophies, with an emphatic 4-1 win over Real Betis in Wrocław, despite trailing 1-0 up to the 65th minute.
It was a perfect way to end the campaign - yet the campaign did not end there.
By virtue of winning the Champions League in 2020/21, Enzo Maresca’s side qualified for the newly-expanded Club World Cup in the USA - and their first group fixture, against LAFC, came less than three weeks later on 16 June.
But the momentum carried them through and, despite a surprise 3-1 defeat to Flamengo in the second game, they beat Espérance de Tunis, Benfica, Palmeiras and Fluminense to reach the final, before taking down PSG - who had thumped Real Madrid 4-0 in the semi-finals - in the final at MetLife Stadium.
“No words for the players. They deserve it,” Maresca told DAZN afterwards. “Our future is very exciting.”
A rest was overdue for Chelsea, particularly with just one month and four days between the final and the Premier League opener at home to Crystal Palace. They even had to find time for a truncated pre-season - but they took it all in their stride and relatively comprehensive wins over Bayer Leverkusen and AC Milan set them up nicely.
In the meantime, behind the scenes, it was a typically busy summer in terms of transfers. 12 new players joined, including Pedro, Liam Delap and Garnacho, as well as highly-rated 18-year-old Estêvão, who had agreed a move from Palmeiras one year earlier.
16 left, too, with no fewer than four goalkeepers among them, and Noni Madueke, who moved across the capital to Arsenal.
Chelsea’s first Premier League game, against Crystal Palace, ended 0-0, even though the Blues created 1.6 xG, before they eased to a 5-1 win at West Ham and beat Fulham 2-0 in a west London derby shrouded in controversy.
One slight concern they have encountered is that Delap was ruled out for six to eight weeks with a hamstring injury at the end of August.
With Christopher Nkunku sold to AC Milan and Nicolas Jackson loaned to Bayern Munich, Pedro was left as the only recognised striker at the club, meaning Marc Guiu had to be recalled from a season-long loan at Sunderland after just three appearances.
The rigours of competing on multiple fronts may well further take its toll on Chelsea throughout the season, but for now, the momentum is still showing no signs of slowing - which is undoubtedly very welcome after a rocky few years.
In the Dugout
Enzo Maresca
Enzo Maresca played in the academies of AC Milan and Cagliari in his native Italy before turning professional in 1998 with… West Brom.
After a season-and-a-half at The Hawthorns, the midfielder signed for Juventus. He only played 37 league games for the club in four years, though, and spent time on loan at Bologna and Piacenza.
Maresca - a 15-time Italy Under-21 international - then spent time at Fiorentina, before joining Sevilla in 2005.
It was in Spain that he spent the most successful years of his career. Across a four-year period, he won the UEFA Cup twice, the Copa del Rey, the Spanish Super Cup and the UEFA Super Cup.
He went on to play for Olympiacos, Malaga, Sampdoria, Palermo and Hellas Verona, then retired from professional football on his 37th birthday in February 2017 and was appointed assistant at Ascoli four months later.
Less than a year after starting work as Manchester City's Elite Development Squad manager, Maresca was headhunted by Parma in May 2021, but he lasted only 14 games as head coach before being dismissed.
He later returned to City as Pep Guardiola's assistant, but departed again one year later to take up the vacant managerial position at Leicester City.
In June 2024, after leading the Foxes to the Championship title, Maresca was announced as the successor to Mauricio Pochettino on a five-year contract at Chelsea.
In just over a year, he has already managed more games for the club than Graham Potter, Maurizio Sarri, Rafa Benitez, Roberto Di Matteo, André Villas-Boas, Luiz Felipe Scolari and Avram Grant.
The Gameplan
With Bobby Vincent, senior Chelsea correspondent for football.london
Bobby Vincent, senior Chelsea correspondent for football.london, explains how Chelsea are likely to set up to face the Bees.
"Enzo Maresca usually picks a team that, on paper, will look like a four at the back, but when his side are in possession, there are a few changes," he explained.
"For instance, Marc Cucurella often comes more centrally and acts as a no.10, with the right-back on the other side - usually Malo Gusto or Reece James - taking a few steps inside to form a back three alongside the two other central defenders.
"Enzo Fernández will then push forward and act as a no.10, with two wingers either side of him trying to keep the width."
Last Premier League starting XI v Fulham (4-2-3-1): Sánchez; Gusto, Chalobah, Adarabioyo, Cucurella; Caicedo, Fernández; Estêvão, João Pedro, Pedro Neto; Delap
Read our full interview with Bobby Vincent here
Match Officials
Attwell at Gtech for first time this term
Referee: Stuart Attwell
Assistants: Constantine Hatzidakis and Nick Hopton
Fourth official: Lewis Smith
VAR: James Bell
Stuart Attwell is the referee for Saturday's game, which will be the 42-year-old's third Premier League match of the season.
The official was the man in the middle for Everton's 2-0 win over Brighton and Crystal Palace's 3-0 victory at Aston Villa, handing out seven and five bookings, respectively.
Attwell issued 140 cards in 32 games last term.
Last Meeting
Brentford 0 Chelsea 0 (Premier League, 6 April 2025)
Brentford were held to a goalless draw by Chelsea in the Premier League in April.
The Bees had numerous chances in the west London derby, particularly during a dominant first-half display, but neither side could find a winner at Gtech Community Stadium.