Brentford and Southampton will be eager to build on their midweek cup wins when they clash at the Gtech Community Stadium on Saturday.
The 2024/25 Premier League season resumes with Gameweek 3 this weekend, with the latest round of fixtures kicking off with the game between Arsenal and Brighton & Hove Albion at the Emirates. The action on Saturday will continue with five simultaneous fixtures, one of which will be Brentford vs Southampton at the Gtech Community Stadium.
Brentford began the 2024/25 season with a narrow 2-1 win over Crystal Palace at home before suffering a 2-0 defeat to Liverpool last weekend. However, the Bees have bounced back with a 1-0 victory against Colchester United in the EFL Cup second round this week, with Keane Lewis-Potter scoring the match-winning goal.
As for Southampton, they are one of five Premier League clubs to lose both their games after the first two rounds of fixtures thus far. The Saints have shown some positive signs but have suffered 1-0 defeats to Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest. However, Russell Martin’s men bounced back with a pulsating 5-3 win over Cardiff City in the EFL Cup second round earlier this week.
The most recent Premier League fixture featuring Brentford and Southampton at the Gtech Community Stadium ended in a 3-0 win for the West London outfit. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Brentford
Thomas Frank does not have any new injury concerns hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture. Against Southampton on Saturday, the Brentford manager will be bereft of the services of four first-team players.
Igor Thiago (knee), Aaron Hickey (hamstring), Rico Henry (knee), and Joshua Dasilva (knee) remain on the sidelines for the home side. Hickey will unlikely feature again in the 2024/25 season, with Brentford scouring the market for an alternative. Meanwhile, Ivan Toney will not be in the matchday squad again amid speculation surrounding his future.
Mark Flekken is an automatic pick between the sticks, with Brentford lining up in a 4-3-3 formation vs Southampton on Saturday. The backline should feature Mads Roerslev, Nathan Collins, Ethan Pinnock, and Kristoffer Ajer, who will reprise the makeshift left-back role again this weekend.
As for the midfield unit, there is no looking Christian Norgaard, Mathias Jensen, and the ever-present Vitaly Janelt. The trio will look to keep things tight in the middle of the park, while Jensen and Janelt will initiate quick transitions from the defensive to the offensive phases. Finally, Yoane Wissa, Bryan Mbeumo, and Keane Lewis-Potter should form the attacking trifecta for the home side.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Flekken; Roerslev, Collins, Pinnock, Ajer; Jensen, Norgaard, Janelt; Mbeumo, Wissa, Lewis-Potter
Southampton
Like his counterpart in the Brentford dugout, Russell Martin does not have many issues to deal with ahead of the trip to the Gtech Community Stadium. The Southampton manager will be without three first-team players on Saturday.
Gavin Bazunu (achilles) and Ross Stewart (unspecified) remain on the sidelines, with the former not returning until February. Meanwhile, Martin is sweating over the fitness of Kamaldeen Sulemana, with the Ghanaian attacker facing a late fitness test to determine his availability.
Martin will have Aaron Ramsdale at his disposal for Saturday’s fixture, but Alex McCarthy should feature between the sticks this weekend, with Ramsdale making his bow after the international break. Southampton will line up in a 3-5-2 formation in front of McCarthy vs Brentford, with Jack Stephens, Jan Bednarek, and Taylor Harwood-Bellis forming the central defensive partnership.
Yukinari Sugawara and Kyle Walker-Peters should be the two wing-backs, with the duo providing the width in the final third. The duo will also flank the three midfielders, Mateus Fernandes, Will Smallbone, and Flynn Downes, with the former providing the creative impetus from the central areas. Ben Brereton Diaz and Cameron Archer should be the two strikers for the visitors.
Probable Lineup (3-5-2): McCarthy; Stephens, Bednarek, Harwood-Bellis; Sugawara, Fernandes, Smallbone, Downes, Walker-Peters; Brereton Diaz, Archer
Key Stats
- Brentford have won their last three Premier League games vs Southampton without conceding, winning both home games against Saints 3-0. The Saints have won just one of their nine most recent away league matches against the Bees (D3 L5), beating them 3-0 in April 2011 while in League One.
- Southampton won both league games in London in the EFL Championship in the 2023/24 season (1-0 vs both Millwall and QPR). However, in the Premier League, they have emerged victorious in just one of their last eight visits to the capital (D1 L6), beating Chelsea 1-0 in February 2023.
- Brentford lost their first home Premier League game against a newly promoted side 2-1 to Norwich City in November 2021 when they were new to the top flight themselves. Since then, the Bees have won seven successive matches on home soil against such teams, scoring twice or more in every victory.
- After beating Crystal Palace at the Gtech Community Stadium on Gameweek 1, Brentford will look to win consecutive home Premier League games for the first time since last November. They last won their opening two home league games in a season in 2018/19 in the Championship.
- In Gameweek 1, Southampton faced the lowest xG of any team (0.25 vs Newcastle United), while in Gameweek 2, they mustered the lowest xG of any side (0.14 vs Nottingham Forest). Three of their five attempts against Forest came from Kyle Walker-Peters, who also had the most touches for the Saints in the opposition box in the game (4).
Player to Watch
Yoane Wissa
With Thomas Frank not including Ivan Toney in his plans for the 2024/25 season amid widespread speculation surrounding the Englishman’s future, the onus has been on Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa to deliver the goods in the final third. Mbeumo has been instrumental in Brentford’s success since the West London club’s promotion to the Premier League.
However, Wissa has started making his mark for Brentford this year. The DR Congo international has been involved in six goals in his last seven home Premier League starts for Brentford (four goals, two assists), scoring and assisting in the two most recent outings.
The last player to score and assist in three consecutive home Premier League appearances was Leroy Sane for Manchester City in September/October 2017. Wissa has the opportunity to equal that feat on Saturday, and he will be the go-to man Brentford in the final third vs Southampton this weekend.
Prediction
Brentford 2-1 Southampton
Saturday’s match at the Gtech Community Stadium features two teams eager to embark on winning runs to shed the tag of relegation contenders. While Brentford should return to being challengers for a top-half finish, Southampton will be desperate to pull clear of the drop zone as the weeks progress.
While the Saints have shown some positive signs on the defensive front, Yoane Wissa and Bryan Mbeumo are making their mark in the final for Brentford. So, the home side should be in contention to trouble the solid Southampton backline, although their defensive frailties will bring the visitors into contention, helping them break their duck this season.
Brentford vs Southampton should be an enthralling contest, with neither side giving an inch at any point. However, the hosts should have the quality to edge this contest by the narrowest of margins. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-1 win for Thomas Frank and his charges this weekend.
