Chelsea will look to build on their strong start to the season when they travel across London to face Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium in Premier League matchweek four on Saturday, Softfootball reports.
Enzo Maresca’s side are unbeaten this season after two wins and one draw, most recently beating Fulham 2-0 at Stamford Bridge thanks to goals from Joao Pedro and Enzo Fernandez.
The Blues could hand a debut to new signing Alejandro Garnacho, who has moved to Stamford Bridge from Manchester United for £40million. Chelsea already know they will be without a host of players, including Levi Colwill, who will miss most of the season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament.
Chelsea’s main worry is their talisman Cole Palmer. The attacking midfielder was withdrawn from the starting XI before their 5-1 win over West Ham, and he remained sidelined for the victory against Fulham.
He was not involved for England over the international break, and Maresca has confirmed Palmer faces a late fitness test after taking part in a training session on Thursday.
There are also “question marks” over the availability of Moises Caicedo, Joao Pedro, Andrey Santos and Estevao, Maresca said on Friday as seen on Chelsea official club website, because of their participation in South American World Cup qualifiers in high altitude and which resulted in late return to London than for European internationals.
Elsewhere on the injury list, Dario Essugo has had to undergo surgery that will see him miss the rest of 2025, but Romeo Lavia and Benoit Badiashile are much closer to returning, and they could be back within the next week.
Chelsea possible starting lineup:
Robert Sánchez, Malo Gusto, Tosin Adarabioyo, Trevoh Chalobah, Marc Cucurella, Enzo Fernández, Moisés Caicedo, Pedro Neto, Estêvão, Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, João Pedro
Brentford meanwhile, have had a mixed start to the campaign, winning two of their four games in all competitions.
They have beaten Aston Villa and Bournemouth, but lost to Nottingham Forest and Sunderland in the opening fixtures of Keith Andrews’ reign. They will be without Yoane Wissa, who completed a move to Newcastle United before the transfer deadline.
As for Brentford, Vitaly Janelt and Paris Maghoma remain out in the engine room, although Yunus Emre Konak and Gustavo Nunes could be in line for returns.
Brentford possible starting lineup:
Brentford: Caoimhin Kelleher, Michael Kayode, Sepp van den Berg, Nathan Collins, Keane Lewis-Potter, Jordan Henderson, Yehor Yarmoliuk, Mikkel Damsgaard, Dango Ouattara, Igor Thiago, Kevin Schade
