The biggest Chelsea line-up in three years: a surprise in the west London derby

English football fans turn their attention shortly to the "Gtech Community" Stadium, where Chelsea meet hosts Brentford in an eagerly awaited west London derby in the fifth round of the Premier League. Both sides are chasing the top four. Chelsea go into the match in sixth on 7 points, one clear of their opponents, who sit seventh with 6.

Xabi Alonso's line-up revealed a striking shift in how he is building the team. The coach fielded his oldest average age in a Premier League starting eleven in around three and a half years, at 27 years and 349 days. That is Chelsea's highest figure in the competition since the meeting with Arsenal in May 2023, which stood at 28 years and 278 days, according to "Sky Sports".

Veteran English duo Danny Welbeck (35) and Jordan Henderson (36) wrote themselves into the London club's modern history. They became the oldest English players to feature in Chelsea's league starting eleven since legend John Terry played at 36 against Sunderland in May 2017.

Chelsea's full starting line-up against Brentford was as follows:

Goalkeeper: Martinez.

Defence: Fofana, Lacroix, Colwill.

Midfield: Neto, Henderson, Barco, Chavarria.

Attack: Palmer, Rogers, Welbeck.

On the bench: Penders, Acheampong, Gusto, Hato, Lavia, Nicolas Jackson, Gittens, Estevao and Guiu.