Brentford vs. Chelsea Prediction, Picks, XIs for EPL – Friday, September 18

Friday’s EPL match between Brentford and Chelsea kicks off at 3 p.m. ET. Chelsea enters the Premier League bout as slight favorites on the road, returning a 2.38x payout on PrizePicks.

Matchweek 5 of the Premier League season kicks off with a London derby between Chelsea and Brentford on Friday afternoon. The two squads sit just one point apart in the EPL table, each coming away with a draw in their most recent match.

Below, we'll break down our Brentford vs. Chelsea prediction and picks for Friday's Premier League match, including EPL winner payouts, total goals, and top Premier League picks for PrizePicks today.

Make your Brentford vs. Chelsea prediction on PrizePicks for Friday’s EPL match now.

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Brentford vs. Chelsea Prediction, Picks for Premier League – Friday, September 18

How to watch Brentford vs. Chelsea: USA (English) / Universo (Spanish)

Kickoff Time: 3 p.m. ET

Venue: Brentford Community Stadium, London, England

Chelsea have been one of the most exciting teams to watch early in the season, scoring and conceding at a relentless pace. Only Brighton have scored more goals than Xabi Alonso's side through four games, though Chelsea's shaky defense has conceded the third-most despite just one loss.

Alonso could be without a key piece in his attack, with ST João Pedro — who won EPL Player of the Month in August and has 6 goal contributions in his first four league games — among three Chelsea stars listed as doubts for Friday's match.

Brentford, who have had a difficult start, could find some much-needed momentum if any of Chelsea's questionable players are forced to sit out. The Bees have drawn their last three straight matches and struggled to convert chances at the level we saw in an impressive 2025-26 campaign.

With Chelsea's defense so vulnerable, ST Igor Thiago could finally get off the mark after going goalless through four games. The Brazilian was one of last season's biggest surprises, finishing second only to Erling Haaland with 22 goals in his first full Premier League campaign.

Even so, Chelsea have beaten or drawn with Brentford in each of their last five meetings dating back to 2024.

Despite the injury concerns, the Cole Palmer-Morgan Rogers combination has quickly become the engine of one of the most exciting attacks in European football and may have enough to at least take a point on the road.

Brentford vs. Chelsea Spread, Total Goals, Payouts – Friday, September 18

Chelsea enters Friday’s game as road favorites against Brentford, returning a 2.38x payout if they win outright, via PrizePicks Team Picks.

Meanwhile, Brentford will look to pull off an upset as home underdogs with a 2.56x payout. PrizePicks has a 3.44x payout on a draw between the two sides.

Here are the full payouts for the Brentford vs. Chelsea game on PrizePicks.

Play the Brentford vs. Chelsea spread or total goals on PrizePicks.

Team Picks data is live at the time of writing and is subject to change.

Brentford vs. Chelsea Prediction on Total Goals – 9/18/26

Here are the key game stats and trends behind our Brentford vs. Chelsea prediction on total goals for the EPL match on Friday, September 18.

• Chelsea have been must-watch television, creating and conceding chances throughout the full 90 minutes. Three of their first four games have surpassed 3.5 total goals.
• Their last clean sheet in a league match came against Brentford back in January. Since then, Chelsea have conceded in 20 consecutive Premier League matches heading into Friday.
• Brentford's most recent 2-2 draw with Bournemouth is their only EPL match this season to finish with more than 3.5 total goals.
• The Bees are slightly underperforming their expected goals, scoring 7 goals on 7.25 xG. They rank fourth in the league in xG, 0.79 above Chelsea.
• Brentford rank third in the Premier League with 17.0 total shots per game, though only 4.2 of those are on target. Chelsea lead the league with 6.0 SOT per contest.

Predict Brentford vs. Chelsea total goals on PrizePicks.

Brentford vs. Chelsea Projected Lineups for EPL – Friday, September 18

Take a look at the projected lineups for today's Brentford vs. Chelsea Premier League match. Lineups are not official and should be confirmed before match start.

Brentford Lineup vs. Chelsea: Projected 4-2-3-1

• Goalkeeper: Caoimhín Kelleher
• Defense: Aaron Hickey, Jannik Schuster, Kristoffer Ajer, Keane Lewis-Potter
• Midfield: Mamadou Sangaré, Vitaly Janelt, Yehor Yarmoliuk
• Forwards: Jaidon Anthony, Kevin Schade, Igor Thiago

Chelsea Lineup vs. Brentford: Projected 3-4-2-1

• Goalkeeper: Emiliano Martínez
• Defense: Levi Colwill, Wesley Fofana, Maxence Lacroix
• Midfield: Pep Chavarría, Roméo Lavia, Reece James, Pedro Neto
• Forwards: Cole Palmer, Morgan Rogers, Danny Welbeck

Brentford vs. Chelsea Picks, Player Stats for PrizePicks: 9/18/26

Here are Brentford vs. Chelsea picks to target on Friday, September 18. Today’s EPL picks on PrizePicks include Caoimhín Kelleher and Morgan Rogers.

Brentford GK Caoimhín Kelleher vs. Chelsea: 3 Goalie Saves

• Kelleher has had a strong start to his second season with Brentford, averaging 3.8 saves in his first four starts. The former Liverpool keeper is saving shots at his net at a 79% rate.
• The Ireland native could have a busy afternoon with Chelsea’s 6.0 shots on target per game coming to his home stadium. He's averaged 2.25 saves in four career games vs. the Blues.
• The four keepers Chelsea have faced this season are averaging 3.25 saves. Only one has made fewer than 3 saves against this dangerous Chelsea attack.

Add Caoimhín Kelleher to your PrizePicks EPL lineup now!

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Chelsea F/MF Morgan Rogers vs. Brentford: 2.5 Shots Assisted

• Rogers has settled into life at Chelsea seamlessly, contributing 7 goal involvements across all competitions in six appearances. He leads all Chelsea players with 4 assists.
• The £117 million ($134.1M) signing leads all players with 2.5 key passes per game and recorded 9 combined key passes across his first two games alone.
• Rogers ranks in the top five in the Premier League in key passes per game, boosted by Chelsea's 15.0 shots per contest. The volume of chances created gives Rogers repeated opportunities to find teammates in dangerous positions each game.

 Add Morgan Rogers to your PrizePicks EPL lineup now!

Make Brentford vs. Chelsea Picks on PrizePicks

Brentford will look to extend their unbeaten start to the season when they host London rivals Chelsea on Friday. Chelsea, meanwhile, aim to bounce back from a loss and a draw and head into the first international break with some positive momentum.

Don’t wait until kickoff — you can make your Brentford vs. Chelsea picks for Friday’s EPL match now on PrizePicks to earn real money. 

Just pick your EPL players, predict More or Less on their stats, and cash in if you’re right. With Team Picks, you can make predictions on match winner, total goals, and both teams to score – now available in 36 states. 

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