Brentford v Chelsea opens Premier League weekend in west London derby
Brentford host Chelsea to open the Premier League weekend on Friday 18 September.
Kick-off is at 20:00 BST at Gtech Community Stadium. The game starts the round of top-flight fixtures, with the rest of the programme to follow across the weekend. Premier League
It is a home fixture for Brentford. The club describes the meeting with Chelsea at the Gtech as a west London derby. That means local bragging rights as well as league points. Brentford FC
The Friday night slot is made for television. The Premier League listed the match for broadcast on Sky Sports. The Guardian also published a How to watch guide on 18 September covering kick-off time, TV channels and live stream options. Premier League
Brentford confirmed the venue as Gtech Community Stadium in its match preview. Supporter information and a matchday guide were published in the build-up. The stadium in west London has become known for loud Friday nights. Brentford FC
Team news came from live coverage on the night. The Guardian's live page listed Brentford's team as Kelleher, Kayode, Ajer, Schuster, Lewis-Potter, Janelt, Yarmoliuk, Damsgaard, Anthony, Schade and Thiago. That is the group tasked with starting fast in front of their own fans. The Guardian
Andy Madley is the referee. Jarred Gillett is on VAR, the Video Assistant Referee who reviews key decisions by video. Their names were listed in the same live coverage. The Guardian
There are plenty of ways to follow it. BBC Sport ran a Premier League LIVE page for Brentford vs Chelsea with build-up, team news, live text commentary, score updates and match stats. ESPN in the UK and The Athletic also carried live coverage pages for the 18 September game. BBC Sport
The Guardian's live football blog on 18 September said Brentford v Chelsea kicks off the action. It named Tottenham v Aston Villa and Bournemouth v Liverpool among the weekend's other eye-catching games. So Friday night sets the table. The rest of the weekend decides what it meant. The Guardian
For fans, this means a short, sharp start to the weekend. One game. Two west London neighbours. Ninety minutes that can lift a whole stand, and give strangers something to talk about on the way home.
