Chelsea vs Brentford LIVE: Premier League team news, line-ups and more as Blues continue title chase

Chelsea will look to keep up their pursuit of Liverpool at the top of the Premier League as they face fellow west London club Brentford in a rare Sunday night Premier League fixture.

A strong start under Enzo Maresca has seen the hosts establish themselves as perhaps the top flight’s form side and the likeliest to test Arne Slot’s league leaders until the end of the season. With Cole Palmer in sensational form and a young squad gelling impressively, their Italian manager may bat away suggestions his team are in the title race but their candidacy as challengers is hard to refute.

There will be wariness, though, of the threat that Brentford pose. While their outstanding home form has rather been undermined by a woeful record on the road, a short trip to Stamford Bridge should provide fewer challengers and a chance to continue climbing the table in a condensed group of clubs in the top half.

Follow all of the latest from Stamford Bridge, plus updates from Southampton vs Tottenham, in our live blog below:

Chelsea vs Brentford live

Chelsea host Brentford in the Premier League, with kick off at 7pm GMT
Enzo Maresca’s side are hoping to keep up pursuit of leaders Liverpool
The visitors have a strong home record this campaign but have struggled on the road
Southampton also host Tottenham on Sunday evening
Chelsea XI: Sanchez, Gusto, Tosin, Colwill, Cucurella, Caicedo, Fernandez, Madueke, Palmer, Sancho, Jackson
Brentford XI: Flekken; Van Den Berg, Collins, Pinnock; Roerslev, Yarmolyuk, Norgaard, Damsgaard, Lewis-Potter; Wissa, Mbeumo.

Chelsea FC – Brentford FC

Team news!

17:47 , Jamie Braidwood

Chelsea XI: Sanchez, Gusto, Tosin, Colwill, Cucurella, Caicedo, Fernandez, Madueke, Palmer, Sancho, Jackson.

Brentford XI: Flekken; Van Den Berg, Collins, Pinnock; Roerslev, Yarmolyuk, Norgaard, Damsgaard, Lewis-Potter; Wissa, Mbeumo.

Team news on the way…

17:40 , Harry Latham-Coyle

Right, just a few minutes now before team news lands from Stamford Bridge. Pedro Neto is suspended for Chelsea with the presumption a promotion for Noni Madueke, but will Moises Caicedo remain in his right back role? As for Brentford, both Vitaly Janelt and Kristoffer Ajer have been passed fit – do they start?

Enzo Maresca plays down title-race talk after Chelsea fight back to win at Spurs

17:30 , Harry Latham-Coyle

Are Chelsea in the title race? If you ask most people, the answer is an emphatic yes, but their manager was still dodging the topic even after a thrilling comeback win against Tottenham last weekend:

Enzo Maresca plays down title-race talk after Chelsea fight back to win at Spurs

Team news

17:20 , Chris Wilson

Pedro Neto is suspended for Chelsea, while Romeo Lavia is a doubt after being substituted as a precautionary measure 45 minutes into the win over Tottenham. Moises Caicedo could revert to a midfield role after recent outings at right back.

Vitaly Janelt and Kristoffer Ajer could return for Brentford, who remain without both Rico Henry and Aaron Hickey. Mathias Jensen is also a couple of weeks away from a return.

Brentford boss Thomas Frank names the ‘best team in the Premier League’ — and it’s not leaders Liverpool

17:15 , Harry Latham-Coyle

Brentford boss Thomas Frank believes Chelsea are the best team in the Premier League ahead of Sunday’s London derby at Stamford Bridge.

Enzo Maresca’s men go into the game on the back of six straight wins in all competitions and having narrowed the gap on leaders Liverpool to four points before Arne Slot’s side played yesterday.

Brentford boss Thomas Frank names Chelsea the ‘best team in the Premier League’

Why is Chelsea v Brentford not on TV?

17:07 , Chris Wilson

Viewers in the United Kingdom will be unable to watch the match live on TV, though highlights will be available on Match of the Day, which airs on BBC One from 10.30pm.

The fixture was originally scheduled for 3pm on Saturday and not selected by broadcasters. It has been moved because of Chelsea’s involvement in the Conference League, with a late kick off affording the club extra recovery time.

Why are Chelsea and Tottenham playing at Sunday 7pm? The rise of Premier League’s ‘unpopular’ kick-off time

17:00 , Jamie Braidwood

The Premier League will stage two 7pm kick-offs this Sunday evening when Chelsea host Brentford and Tottenham travel to Southampton.

Both matches were rescheduled to Sunday due to Chelsea and Tottenham’s participation in Europe on Thursday night – but supporters are unhappy with the evening kick-off slot.

Why are Chelsea v Brentford and Southampton v Tottenham kicking off at 7pm?

Chelsea vs Brentford LIVE

Saturday 14 December 2024 12:26 , Harry Latham-Coyle

A very good evening and welcome to a rare double helping of Sunday night football. Yes, the Premier League’s scheduling nightmare has been solved by shifting two fixtures to 7pm GMT tonight, with Chelsea, Brentford, Southampton and Tottenham all in action.

The Independent will be focussing on affairs at Stamford Bridge as Enzo Maresca’s men bid to keep up their pursuit of Liverpool at the top of the table.