Joao Pedro predicts a 'beautiful story ahead' for Chelsea

Joao Pedro believes there is a "beautiful story ahead" for Chelsea, as the Blues make the trip to Brentford for their fourth outing of the Premier League campaign on Saturday.

Enzo Maresca's side have collected two wins and a draw this term, with their latest result a 2-0 victory over Fulham at Stamford Bridge coming courtesy of goals from Joao Pedro and Enzo Fernandez.

There could also be a first appearance for £40m signing Alejandro Garnacho, who arrived from Manchester United late in the transfer window.

Joao Pedro, who featured for Brazil during the international break, has enjoyed an encouraging start to his Chelsea career, having already registered four league goal involvements (two goals and two assists).

"I believe I made the right choice and, in the end, everything worked out. I'm at Chelsea, I'm in the national team," Joao Pedro said.

"I'm confident and happy and I think this is just the start of a beautiful story ahead, not only for the national team but for Chelsea as well."

Brentford, under new boss Keith Andrews, have experienced a mixed start.

They've registered wins over Aston Villa and Bournemouth in the league and EFL Cup, respectively, but slipped to defeats against Nottingham Forest and Sunderland.

Last time out, the Bees were undone at the Stadium of Light as Sunderland netted two goals in the final knockings of the game.

Andrews' side said goodbye to Yoane Wissa, who sealed a deadline-day switch to Newcastle United, though Brentford did bolster their ranks by bringing in Reiss Nelson from Arsenal on a season-long loan.

"I've always been working towards being a head coach... always," said Andrews.

On Brentford's set pieces and his previous involvement as set piece coach, Andrews claimed: "Set-pieces [change] the way you look at the game, the way the team is picked.

"I would constantly challenge Thomas [Frank] on who we should play in the line-up because they would be more effective at set pieces. 

"But there was definitely that mindset shift of looking at the game more from a tactical perspective, specifically through the lens of set pieces."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Brentford – Igor Thiago

Thiago's goal against Sunderland saw him net three times in his last four appearances in all competitions for Brentford, after failing to score in each of his previous eight games for the club. 

The Brazilian has also applied 132 high-intensity pressures in the opposition half this season so far, 27 more than any other player, and he also leads the way in high intensity pressures in the final third of the pitch (88).

Chelsea – Enzo Fernandez

Fernandez has contributed to 14 goals in his last 18 Chelsea games across all competitions, scoring five and setting up nine.

Since the beginning of last season, only Liverpool's Mohamed Salah (24) has provided more assists in all competitions than the Argentine, who has 18, and he will be keen to make a similar impact for Chelsea this weekend. 

MATCH PREDICTION: CHELSEA WIN

Only one of the eight Premier League clashes between Brentford and Chelsea has been won by the home side, which came when the Blues won 2-1 in December 2024.

Brentford's three league wins over the Blues have all come away from home, with the Bees yet to beat them on their own ground in four attempts (three draws, one defeat).

This fixture marks Chelsea's fourth London derby in a row to start the season, making them just the second team in Football League history to begin a campaign with four straight derbies, after Crystal Palace in 2021-22.

Having already won their last two, the Blues are chasing three consecutive derby victories in the league for the first time since February 2024, when they managed four on the spin.

Brentford ended last season strongly, losing just twice in their final 10 league matches (five wins, three draws), but they have already suffered two defeats in their opening three games of 2025-26 (one win).

At home, however, Brentford have been solid with three wins in their last four league outings. Chelsea, meanwhile, have picked up two wins from their first three Premier League games for only the second time in the past seven seasons, the other occasion coming in 2021-22.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Brentford – 30.8%

Draw – 25.1%

Chelsea – 44.1%