Brentford vs Chelsea LIVE: Joao Pedro decision confirmed as Jordan Henderson makes debut

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Chelsea take on Brentford this evening at the Gtech Community Stadium as the Blues look to return to winning ways in the Premier League before the international break

Chelsea are desperate to return to winning ways in the Premier League tonight as west London rivals Brentford welcome them to the Gtech Community Stadium.

After defeat at Arsenal and a stalemate with Hull City last time out, the Blues will be determined to go into the first international break of the season with three points against the Bees.

However, the venue for tonight's game is a stadium they haven't won at in the Premier League since 2021. Back then, Thomas Tuchel was in charge and Ben Chilwell netted the only goal of the evening in a 1-0 victory.

Alonso refused to give too much away in terms of team news during his pre-match press conference on Thursday afternoon. The Chelsea manager refused to rule out, or clarify the fitness of, Joao Pedro, Moises Caicedo, Reece James, Marco Palestra and Jordan Henderson.

It appears, though, that Joao Pedro will not be involved tonight due to a knee injury. ESPN Brazil reported on Thursday that the Brazilian is set for three-and-a-half weeks out of action due to the problem.

We will hear the official team news at 6:45pm (UK time) this evening, 75 minutes before the scheduled 8pm kick-off time in west London. You can watch the match on Sky Sports, or stream it on Sky Go. Alternatively, you can follow all of the action right here with football.london.

CONFIRMED LINE-UP

Chelsea starting XI: Martinez; Fofana, Lacroix, Colwill (C); Neto, Henderson, Barco, Chavarria; Palmer, Rogers; Welbeck

Subs: Penders, Acheampong, Gusto, Hato, Lavia, Nicoll-Jazuli, Gittens, Estevao, Quenda

Xabi Alonso makes Cole Palmer vow

Xabi Alonso has vowed there is "more to come" from Cole Palmer at Chelsea after an encouraging start to the season for the attacker.

The 24-year-old has begun the campaign with a bang - scoring two and assisting the same amount in the first four Premier League matches.

Alonso believes there is plenty more to come from Palmer.

Predicted Chelsea line-up

Tonight's Chelsea line-up is such a difficult one to predict given all of the uncertainty around the injuries.

Joao Pedro, if reports are to be believed, is unavailable, while the likes of Reece James, Marco Palestra, Jordan Henderson and Moises Caicedo all face late fitness tests, according to Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso.

Either way, Bobby Vincent has tried his best at reading Alonso's mind.

Good evening

Hello and welcome to football.london for live coverage of Chelsea's Premier League clash with Brentford this evening.

The Blues take on the Bees at 8pm (UK time) in both teams' last match before the first international break of the campaign gets underway.

Bobby Vincent is live at the Gtech Community Stadium to bring you all of the updates from what promises to be a hugely entertaining encounter in the capital.

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