Cole Palmer decision, Reece James sits out, Joao Pedro role - Predicted Chelsea XI vs Brentford

Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca faces some incredibly tough decisions regarding his team selection for this evening's match at Brentford.

The Blues travel to the Gtech Community Stadium - a ground where they have not won since way back in 2021 - with the chance to move to the top of the Premier League table, with Liverpool in action on Sunday afternoon. Three points for Chelsea would do just that, but Maresca is facing some fitness concerns with a few players in his squad.

A decision will be made on Cole Palmer and his fitness levels. The 23-year-old trained for the first time with his teammates on Thursday with the England international missing Chelsea's last two matches because of a groin injury. Maresca confirmed in his pre-match press conference on Friday morning that Palmer would train later in the day (Friday) and a decision would then be made.

Elsewhere, the staff will determine whether or not to use the South American quartet of Moises Caicedo, Joao Pedro, Andrey Santos and Estevao Willian after they all arrived back into the UK on Thursday following their international responsibilities. Meanwhile, Romeo Lavia, Benoit Badiashile, Liam Delap, Dario Essugo and Levi Colwill are all unavailable due to injuries.

So, what will Maresca do regarding his line-up? Bobby Vincent has done his best to try and predict the XI below: