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
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Chelsea host Brentford in the Premier League, with kick off at 7pm GMT
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Enzo Maresca’s side are hoping to keep up pursuit of leaders Liverpool
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The visitors have a strong home record this campaign but have struggled on the road
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Southampton also host Tottenham on Sunday evening
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Chelsea XI: Sanchez, Gusto, Tosin, Colwill, Cucurella, Caicedo, Fernandez, Madueke, Palmer, Sancho, Jackson
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Brentford XI: Flekken; Van Den Berg, Collins, Pinnock; Roerslev, Yarmolyuk, Norgaard, Damsgaard, Lewis-Potter; Wissa, Mbeumo.
Chelsea FC – Brentford FC
Virgil van Dijk picks out title rivals Liverpool must beware: ‘They have the quality’
18:15 , Chris Wilson
Virgil van Dijk has insisted that Chelsea are title challengers as he said that leaders Liverpool are not ignoring the threat from the in-form Blues.
Chelsea have won their last four league matches and closed the gap to Liverpool to four points with their 4-3 win over Tottenham on Sunday.
Manager Enzo Maresca has spent all season claiming they are not in the title race but Liverpool captain Van Dijk believes they are, as he referenced the talent in the ranks at Stamford Bridge and the depth of their expensive squad.
Virgil van Dijk picks out title rivals Liverpool must beware: ‘They have the quality’
Chelsea vs Brentford
18:11 , Jack Rathborn
Cole Palmer and the rare trait establishing Chelsea star as the Premier League’s finest
18:10 , Harry Latham-Coyle
Cole Palmer is something of an outlier in the Premier League landscape. Miguel Delaney explains why, and the qualities that make the Chelsea and England playmaker so good:
The rare Cole Palmer trait establishing Chelsea star as league’s finest
Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca feels ‘proud and privileged’ to work with Cole Palmer
18:00 , Harry Latham-Coyle
Chelsea may have plenty of talent within their squad but it is clear who is the club’s undisputed star. Enzo Maresca was full of praise for Cole Palmer on Friday as he hailed the 22-year-old’s talent.
Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca feels ‘proud and privileged’ to work with Cole Palmer
Team news!
17:47 , Jack Rathborn
Chelsea XI: Sanchez, Gusto, Tosin, Colwill, Cucurella, Caicedo, Fernandez, Madueke, Palmer, Sancho, Jackson.
Subs: Jörgensen, Disasi, Acheampong, Veiga, Dewsbury-Hall, George, Rak-Sakyi, Nkunku, Guiu
Brentford XI: Flekken; Van Den Berg, Collins, Pinnock; Roerslev, Yarmolyuk, Norgaard, Damsgaard, Lewis-Potter; Wissa, Mbeumo.
Subs: Valdimarsson, Mee, Ajer, Meghoma, Carvalho, Konak, Janelt, Trevitt, Schade
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.
