Key events
36 min: Chavarria loops long down the left. Rogers, his back to goal, 50 yards out, splits the Brentford defence with an outrageous backheel down the channel, releasing Welbeck … but the flag goes up correctly for offside. A shame for aesthetes everywhere, because that could have been one of the all-time assists.
34 min: … but we’ve oversold that.
33 min: It’s Schade versus Fofana again down the left, and this time the defender is forced to clank out for a throw. Another opportunity for Kayode to send his dangerous long throw into the mixer …
32 min: Keith Andrews certainly isn’t happy, and he’s now on the touchline offering his charges beneficial advice.
30 min: Rogers floats a weak free kick straight into Kelleher’s arms. The steam-bothered status of Austin MacPhee’s hair not captured on camera this time.
29 min: … but might it take off here? Damsgaard and Janelt take turns in having a nibble at Palmer, shielding the ball to the right of the Brentford D. A free kick in a dangerous position. It was right on the line … or inches outside of it, anyway. VAR double-checks for a spot kick, but free kick it is.
27 min: Rogers wins a corner down the right … which comes to nothing. This game’s yet to take off.
25 min: Kayode throws back to his keeper from the right touchline. Kelleher takes his eye off the ball, and lets it roll under his foot. It’s heading in, but Kelleher strolls back before hooking off the line. The calmest man in the stadium! Memories of poor old Peter Enckelman … but unlike the erstwhile Villa keeper, Kelleher gets away with a big one.
24 min: The last couple of minutes have been better from Brentford, even if Martinez still hasn’t had work to do.
23 min: … nothing much happens, Damsgaard unable to beat the first man. However the ball flies out to the left, and it’s another chance for Kayode to fling long. Which he does, and the ball drops to Lewis-Potter, who has a little bit of time to control and shoot, but only manages to blooter into the nearest defender. Not a clean contact.
22 min: Damsgaard delivers, Welbeck clears. But Brentford come again, Ajer hooking artfully down the left for Schade to chase. The striker wins another corner, from which …
21 min: Anthony is clipped by Chavarria out on the right. Before the free kick can be taken, Schade literally picks Barco up and throws him to the ground. It’s more comical than sinister. Then the ball’s sent into the mixer, and Henderson is forced to head behind for Brentford’s first corner of the evening.
19 min: All of Brentford’s attacking ambition has been down the left so far. Lewis-Potter, Janelt and Schade paint some pretty triangles, but don’t really get anywhere.
Cole Palmer of Chelsea is challenged by Kevin Schade and Kristoffer Ajer of Brentford. Photograph: Alex Pantling/Getty ImagesShare
Updated at 15.22 EDT
17 min: Barco rolls a clever pass down the inside-left and nearly releases Rogers, but Kayode is on point to shepherd the ball out for a goal kick. Both attacks not quite clicking; the defences on top. Who’d have expected that?
16 min: Lewis-Potter obviously fancies this ball down the left. Another long attempt to find a team-mate. Damsgaard chases after it, and this time Fofana’s nowhere to be seen, but there’s too much on the pass and it sails harmlessly out for a goal kick. Martinez has had nothing to do as of yet.
15 min: Lewis-Potter looks long for Schade down the left again, but at the moment Fofana has that flank locked up.
13 min: Chavarria wins a corner down the left. Henderson takes, keeping well clear of the nearby advertising boards. Fool me once, etc. The corner’s no use, but the panto boos are as loud as ever. Chelsea will be happy enough with their start.
11 min: A free kick for Chelsea out on the right. Neto takes, and floats a dismal ball into the box. It drops like a feather into Kelleher’s arms. On the touchline, steam pours out of Austin MacPhee’s ears, the Chelsea set-piece guru’s flowing locks oscillating gently in the resulting breeze.
Pedro Neto of Chelsea takes a shot on goal. Photograph: Anthony Hanc/Wired Photos/ShutterstockShare
Updated at 15.20 EDT
10 min: Lewis-Potter makes a hash of dealing with Chavarria’s left-wing cross, and the ball breaks to Neto, who peals a shot goalwards from a tight angle on the right. Kelleher is behind it all the way and parries with a strong hand. Chelsea on top in these early exchanges.
8 min: Palmer dribbles into the Brentford box down the middle, and is gently tugged back by Janelt. No foul. Then Schade tries to make good up the left touchline, only to be eased off the ball by Neto and into the hoardings. No problem there either. The referee in a laissez-faire mood early doors.
6 min: Some booing, as you’d expect, a smatter for the returning Henderson but most for poor Barco, who has been getting it in the neck all season for his post World Cup semi-final antics. Pantomime season soon!
4 min: The first chance for Kayode to throw in long from the right. Whee! Thiago gets in Martinez’s way, but Rogers intercepts before the striker can get to the dropping ball and clears. “If Brentford are, as their fans like to remind others, just a ‘bus stop in Hounslow’, then it’s surely wise to have their ground located beside a cemetery, given most people’s experience with London buses. As for Chelsea? They’re the Pensioners. They’re hardly going to play beside a maternity hospital, now are they?” Justin Kavanagh answering Peter Oh’s pre-match query, ladies and gentlemen. He’s here all week. Try the Fuller’s.
2 min: Schade advances menacingly down the left, chasing after a long ball by Lewis-Potter. He enters the box ahead of Fofana, but the Chelsea defender does magnificently well to catch up, take over possession, and brush Schade off the ball. Schade claims for a penalty, but not with any real conviction. We play on. It was a fine challenge.
Chelsea get the ball rolling at the Gtech. More accurately, Palmer sends it sailing directly into touch, rugby-style, down the right. A wonderful few-Friday-night-pints-in atmosphere. “If Brentford have no defence at centre back, do Chelsea have a defence anywhere?” wonders Richard Hirst.
The teams are out! Brentford wear their new red and white striped shirts with honey and black collars. They’ll be wearing those for two seasons, so hats off to them for maintaining that fan-friendly convention. Chelsea meanwhile give a competitive debut to their second-choice black tops which, the promotional copy insists, are a celebration of the “Italian Renaissance … of their transformative 1990s era”. A period during which their change shirts were, if memory serves, usually either yellow, white or that grey-and-orange Coors monstrosity. There was once an advert in Viz for vegetarian sausages made from 100 percent meat. The tagline was something along the lines of: we don’t know how they’re vegetarian, they just are. Well, that.
Anyway, I digress. We’ll be off in a couple of minutes. Buckle in!
Pre-match postbag. “To double down on the introductory theme, every bookie quoting a price on there being at least seven goals in the match has that as more likely than a 0-0. Seven!” – David Howell
“I don’t usually set much store by xG, but tonight’s game features a contrast in set-piece efficiency. Brentford have generated 2.34 xG from set pieces (second in the league) but managed just one actual goal. On the other hand, Chelsea have created a much lower 1.5 xG, but turned it into four goals (first in the league). Let’s see if the data catches up with either team tonight” – Andrew Goudie
“Brentford have no defence at centre-back. Offensively, Brentford have to be on the front foot, around Chelsea’s box like a swarm of Bees” – AnhTuan Nguyen Huynh
“Not being familiar with London I was curious about how long it takes to get from Stamford Bridge to the Brentford Community Stadium. A popular map app tells me that it’s only a 30-minute drive, or two-hour walk. I couldn’t help but notice that both stadiums are adjacent to cemeteries. Is this intriguing juxtaposition just coincidence or could there be more to it? Efficiencies in hiring groundskeeping staff? Season tickets for eternity?” – Peter Oh
Updated at 14.43 EDT
Both teams have the chance to go third with a win tonight. A draw would nudge both up one spot … for 19 hours or so at least, when the likes of Brighton, Everton, Ipswich, Newcastle and Hull conclude their Saturday 3pm shenanigans.
Updated at 14.57 EDT
As Alonso departs, the Sky microphone is passed, relay-baton style, to Keith Andrews of Brentford, who is first asked about Mamadou Sangaré. “You’ve obviously done a bit of preparation ready for him starting! … he’s done brilliantly, settled in so well … it isn’t easy in this league … but [Yehor Yarmolyuk] has been excellent, [Vitaly Janelt] has been excellent, we’ve got other midfielders … I’ve no doubt Mamadou will feature heavily tonight … we’re in a decent rhythm … I’ve no doubt [Igor Thiago’s first Premier League goal of the season] is coming, hopefully it’s tonight.”
Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso ambles out of the tunnel and has a pitchside word with Sky Sports. “We always try to assess the whole squad … we have a tough game for sure … the goal is always to have the most competitive team to play and I think we have one … we are prepared for tonight … we have not had enough continuity and stability in [central midfield] … having [Jordan Henderson] back is so important … he helps a lot of the players around … [defence] is fundamental … we need to improve in that part … to be solid … more efficient … that will come … still early days to work on some things … we are confident that we will get there.”
He also reports that his missing captain Reece James has “a little injury in the hamstring”.
Brentford make two changes to the side sent out to face Bournemouth last weekend. Mikkel Damsgaard and Michael Kayode take the places of Aaron Hickery and Mamadou Sangaré, who are on the bench tonight.
Chelsea make five changes following the draw with Hull City. Jordan Henderson makes his first appearance for the Blues on his old stomping ground, while Danny Welbeck, Valentín Barco and Pep Chavarría make their full Premier League debuts. Maxence Lacroix is also in. Roméo Lavia and Malo Gusto drop to the bench, while João Pedro, Jorrel Hato and Reece James sit this one out altogether.
Brentford fans show their support before the match. Photograph: Alex Pantling/Getty ImagesShare
Updated at 15.06 EDT
The teams
Brentford: Kelleher, Kayode, Schuster, Ajer, Lewis-Potter, Yarmolyuk, Janelt, Anthony, Damsgaard, Schade, Thiago.
Subs: Balcombe, Hickey, Henry, Ouattara, Wilson, Carvalho, Sangare, Diouf, Fredrick.
Chelsea: Martinez, Fofana, Lacroix, Colwill, Pedro Neto, Henderson, Barco, Chavarria, Palmer, Rogers, Welbeck.
Subs: Penders, Bynoe-Gittens, Hato, Quenda, Gusto, Nicoll-Jazuli, Acheampong, Estevao, Lavia.
Referee: Andy Madley
VAR: Jarred Gillett
Updated at 13.58 EDT
Preamble
Brentford drew their last Premier League game 2-2; Chelsea’s last match ended 2-2; the last staging of this particular fixture finished 2-2. So … well … I mean, come on! Meanwhile Brentford’s six games up to this point of the season have generated 21 goals, while Chelsea’s six have given up 30. So this surely can’t be anything other than a wild and wonderful goalfest. Can’t it? Don’t let us down, gentlemen. Kick-off is at 8pm BST. It’s on!