Is Brentford vs Chelsea on TV? Channel, live stream and reason for 8pm kick-off

Chelsea are hoping to shift the spotlight back onto the pitch as they prepare for a west London derby against Brentford on Saturday night. The Blues have been slapped with 74 Football Association charges after their current owners self-reported financial issues they discovered when purchasing the club from Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich in 2022.

Although a points deduction and/or transfer ban could be on the cards, the club anticipates receiving a fine instead. However, it has generated unwelcome headlines for the club world champions, who have made a promising start to the season with seven points from three matches. Brentford, now under the management of Keith Andrews following Thomas Frank's move to Tottenham, sit in 15th place with three points. Here's all you need to know about watching the match and why it's being played on a Saturday night....

Why is Brentford vs Chelsea kicking off at 8pm?

After being selected for live coverage by Sky Sports, 8pm on Saturday night was the only slot available.

The game couldn't take place on Sunday due to Brentford's Carabao Cup fixture against Aston Villa on Tuesday, while the Friday night slot was unavailable because of the international break. Arsenal vs Nottingham Forest is the TNT Sports pick for Saturday lunchtime, while West Ham versus Tottenham is Sky's 5.30pm choice.

How to watch Brentford vs Chelsea

Coverage on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League begins at 7.45pm. Sky subscribers can also stream the match via their mobile devices.

The match can also be streamed via the Sky-owner NOW service, with Day Memberships costing £14.99 and monthly memberships starting at £28. There will be highlights of the game on Match of the Day, starting at 10.50pm.

Team news

Chelsea face a potential quartet of absentees amongst their South American contingent, though new signing Alejandro Garnacho could be handed his debut.

The Blues' Brazilian trio of Joao Pedro, Estevao Willian and Andrey Santos touched down in England on Thursday following their nation's 1-0 defeat against Bolivia, while Moises Caicedo returned late the same evening after Ecuador's triumph over Argentina. Brazil's game was contested at an altitude exceeding 4,000m, adding a further complication to recovery schedules.

"The three Brazilian players arrived yesterday, they didn't train, they did some recovery sessions," said Enzo Maresca on Friday. "Moises arrived last night. They're all a question mark for tomorrow."

Enzo Fernandez was suspended for Argentina's World Cup qualifiers and stayed at the club's Cobham training facility. Cole Palmer could miss the game, having not featured since being withdrawn with a groin issue during the 5-1 triumph at West Ham last month.

Forward Liam Delap will remain sidelined until December. For Brentford, midfielder Vitaly Janelt is back in contention for selection, having not featured since April due to a heel problem.

He managed 45 minutes for the B-team on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Michael Kayode, who fell ill while on international duty with Italy U21s, has recovered and is also available for selection.