Chelsea vs. Brentford: FA Cup 2017 Team News, Preview, Live-Stream, TV Info

Chelsea take on Championship side Brentford in the fourth round of the FA Cup on Saturday, as manager Antonio Conte continues his pursuit of a domestic double in his first season in charge at Stamford Bridge.

The Premier League leaders are the favourites against the Bees—15th in the English second tier—especially given they are at home, where they have won their last nine games on the bounce.

Fellow west Londoners Brentford will be eager to topple their illustrious opponents and will hope to take advantage if, as expected, Conte fields a weakened side in advance of two huge Premier League clashes against Liverpool and Arsenal.

Read on for a full preview of the match, along with viewing details and the latest team news.

Date: Saturday, Jan. 28

Time: 3 p.m. GMT/10 a.m. ET

TV Info: FS1 (U.S.)

Live Stream: Fox Sports Go

Team News

Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images

Conte could rest Gary Cahill for Saturday's tie after his clash of heads with Ryan Mason in Chelsea's victory over Hull City last time out, which left the Tigers midfielder hospitalised with a fractured skull, per Simon Johnson in the Evening Standard.

According to Johnson, a number of fringe players are also "in the frame for a rare start," including John Terry, Branislav Ivanovic, Kurt Zouma, Ola Aina and Nathan Ake.

For Brentford, forward Scott Hogan is unlikely to be involved as he continues to be linked with a move to West Ham United, with the Evening Standard's Tom Doyle among those reporting about the 24-year-old's potential switch to London Stadium.

Predicted Chelsea Lineup: Courtois; Azpilicueta, Terry, Zouma; Ivanovic, Chalobah, Fabregas, Ake, Alonso; Willian, Batshuayi.

Predicted Brentford Lineup: Bentley; Egan, Dean, Bjelland; Colin, McEachran, Woods, Yennaris, Field; Sawyers, Vibe.

Preview

At the same stage of the FA Cup in 2013, Chelsea needed a late Fernando Torres goal to earn a 2-2 draw and fourth-round replay against the then-League One Brentford at Griffin Park.

The Blues won the replay 4-0 thanks to goals from Juan Mata, Oscar, Frank Lampard and Terry.

Only one of those players remains at the west London club, and captain Terry is enduring a far from stellar season—he was sent off in Chelsea's 4-1 FA Cup third-round defeat of Peterborough United.

However, it would be little surprise if Conte's Chelsea were to subject Dean Smith's Brentford side to a similarly heavy defeat on Saturday.

The Blues have lost just one of their last 14 matches in all competitions, while the Bees' recent record shows 2-1 reverses in the Championship to Wigan Athletic and Newcastle United.

Chelsea responded excellently to the end of their 13-game winning streak in the league, winning their next three games after a 2-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur on Jan. 4.

Morale under Conte continues to be high:

And with fringe players likely to get a run out, they will all be eager to prove they are worthy of more regular game time.

If Conte does leave the likes of Diego Costa, Eden Hazard and N'Golo Kante out of his starting XI, then Brentford will have a better chance of causing an upset or at least forcing a replay.

However, given that Conte has quality players like Cesc Fabregas and Michy Batshuayi to bring in, as well as the fact the game is at Stamford Bridge, it would still be a surprise if Smith's side were still in the competition come Monday's fifth-round draw.