Brentford will be without five first-team regulars when they host Chelsea in the Premier League on Friday evening. The injury list includes defenders Nathan Collins and Sepp van den Berg, midfielders Antoni Milambo and Josh Dasilva, and forward Kaye Furo.

Thomas Frank's side go into the match sitting seventh in the table with six points from four games. They are unbeaten so far this season, with a recent form of two wins and three draws from their last five outings. Their most recent result was a 2-1 away victory at Reading last weekend, with goals from Callum Wilson and Fabio Carvalho.

Squad challenges

Those absences will force Frank to adjust his lineup for the visit of a Chelsea side currently one place above them in sixth. The manager is likely to rely on the core group that secured the win at Reading. Goalkeeper Ellery Balcombe is expected to continue behind a back four of Michael Kayode, Kristoffer Ajer, Rico Henry and El Hadji Diouf.

In midfield, Ibrahim Sangaré and Keane Lewis-Potter could pair up again, with Dango Ouattara providing width. Mikkel Damsgaard and Fabio Carvalho are set to support striker Callum Wilson in attack. The team's current top scorer is Kevin Schade, who has three goals this campaign.

Chelsea, managed by Enzo Maresca, are also coming off a draw, having been held 2-2 by Hull City. Their lineup last time out featured Emiliano Martínez in goal, with a defence of Wesley Fofana, Levi Colwill and Jorrel Hato. Pedro Neto, Reece James and Roméo Lavia formed the midfield, supporting attackers Malo Gusto, Cole Palmer, Morgan Rogers and João Pedro.

Unbeaten run

Brentford's strong start has been built on a solid defence, conceding only four goals in four league matches. They have scored seven, giving them a positive goal difference of three. The team is six points behind the early leaders, Arsenal.

This London derby presents a significant test of their early-season credentials. A positive result would maintain their position in the top half of the standings. Fans can check the full schedule, including this key fixture, on the club's fixtures page. The latest squad information and player availability is always updated on the official squad list.

The match kicks off at 19:00 UTC at the Brentford Community Stadium on 18 September.