Chelsea battling to contain virus ahead of Brentford test, Rosenior reveals

Liam Rosenior has confirmed Chelsea are working to contain a virus in the squad ahead of their Premier League clash with city rivals Brentford this Saturday.

Rosenior, who is preparing for his first taste of top-flight action, revealed that both Liam Delap and Jamie Gittens have been struck by the illness and are likely to miss out.

The former Strasbourg boss has endured a mixed start to life with the Blues, with his third-round win over Charlton in the FA Cup followed up by a 3-2 defeat in the first leg of their EFL Cup semi-final with Arsenal.

But Brentford will pose a huge test for Chelsea, with Keith Andrews’ side fifth in the Premier League, and out to spoil Rosenior’s maiden outing in Premier League management.

Indeed, since Maurizio Sarri in August 2018 (3-0 win over Huddersfield Town), just one head coach has won their first Premier League game in charge of Chelsea (D4 L2), with Graham Potter beating Crystal Palace in October 2022 (D4 L2 inc. interims).

“Liam [Delap] is still at home at the moment, as is Jamie Gittens,” Rosenior told reporters.

“The club doctors are doing everything they can to contain what looks to be a virus because some members of our staff have gone down as well.

“We had a meeting today with the players about washing their hands, the basics, which is really important, and hopefully we can contain it.

“We have a busy period so we need everyone ready to go and fit and healthy.”

Hoping to have two players back against Brentford this Saturday…

— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) January 15, 2026

Brentford, meanwhile, have had a full week to prepare for their trip to Chelsea, following their 2-0 win over Championship strugglers Sheffield Wednesday in the FA Cup.

The Bees have made a fine start to the campaign, but have not stood still with the January transfer window opening, with Kaye Furo joining from Club Brugge on Monday.

The 18-year-old played in eight games for the Belgian side this season having made his senior debut in August, scoring his first goal for the club in December.

“Kaye is someone we have tracked for a while that we are really excited about bringing to the club,” Brentford boss Andrews told the official club website.

“His attributes are ones that I like and feel we can develop within the environment we have created. I have no doubt he will be a big player for us.”

Furo stands at over six feet tall and will add another dimension to Brentford’s attack, with the teenager describing his move to the Premier League as a dream.

“It’s very exciting to be here and I just feel very grateful. It’s a dream come true for me to come to a club like Brentford,” said Furo.

“Brentford is the right club because of the energy from the moment I came here and the moment I saw everybody for the first time.

“The moment I came here, I saw this was a family club and the energy is real, it’s not being faked or played.”

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Chelsea – Alejandro Garnacho

Alejandro Garnacho has started 10 of his 13 Premier League appearances, netting just once, though Rosenior could be inclined to start him on the bench this weekend.

That is because the Argentine has scored more goals as a substitute than any other Premier League player in all competitions this season (five) and is the first Chelsea player since 1992-93 to score a brace in consecutive sub appearances.

Brentford – Igor Thiago

After enduring a mini goal drought, Igor Thiago is back among the goals, netting five times in his last two Premier League games, but he has been helped by his team-mates.

Indeed, no Premier League duo has combined for more goals this season than Thiago and Kevin Schade (four), with the winger assisting three of the Brazilian’s goals.

In addition, in 2025-26 only Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard (16), Morgan Rogers and Ollie Watkins (16) and Rayan Cherki and Erling Haaland (14) have created more chances for one another than the Brentford pair (13).

MATCH PREDICTION: CHELSEA WIN

Chelsea have won just one of their last eight Premier League games against Brentford (D4 L3), a 2-1 victory in this exact fixture last season.

However, the Blues have only won one of their previous nine league matches (D5 L3), while they have also conceded the opening goal in each of their last three top-flight encounters; they last did so in four straight matches in November 2023.

Only Manchester City (40.2) and Manchester United (38.3) have a higher expected goals (xG) total in the Premier League this season than Chelsea (37.3), but the Blues rank 17th for their differential between goals (34) and their xG (-3.3).

Brentford, meanwhile, have lost 11 of their last 15 away London derbies in the Premier League (W3 D1), conceding at least twice in each defeat. Indeed, they have lost each of their last three by a 2-0 scoreline.

But there is a buzz around the Bees of late. They are unbeaten in each of their last six Premier League games (W4 D2), only enjoying longer unbeaten runs in the competition in March 2023 (12 games) and September 2023 (seven).

And don’t expect a Stamford Bridge stalemate. None of Brentford’s nine away league games against Chelsea have been drawn, with the Bees winning four and losing five.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Chelsea – 50.3%

Draw – 25.2%

Brentford – 24.6%