Arsenal will aim to go to the top of the standings with a win over Brentford, with the Bees eager to get out of their current plight.
Mikel Arteta will sense an excellent weekend opportunity and want to take advantage of the game between Liverpool and Manchester City. Arsenal must win their clash against Brentford, which will take them to the top of the standings and, in turn, apply pressure on their title rivals.
Arsenal are in a lethal vein of form, scoring 31 goals in their seven games since the turn of the year. On Monday night, they scored six past a hapless Sheffield United, making them the first team in the top four divisions of English football to win three consecutive away games with a five-plus goal margin.
Arteta will want to maintain this unstoppable momentum heading into their next fixtures, with the first one coming against Porto midweek and then the big clash with Manchester City at the end of March. For now, Arsenal will want to secure a comfortable win over Brentford on Saturday and then watch the action unfold at Anfield on Sunday.
Brentford are on the opposite end of the Premier League table, as Thomas Frank has come under increasing pressure to bring results. Their form has dipped since December, especially on the road, as they have suffered defeats in seven of their last eight away games.
Their only victory during this run came away at Wolves, and Frank’s men need to bring in the points to ensure they do not get dragged into the relegation conversation. Last weekend, they put on an excellent second-half performance against Chelsea, coming back from a two-goal deficit to draw the clash.
Brentford currently find themselves only six points off 18th-placed Luton Town, who have a game in hand. And should they win that, the Hatters will be able to close the gap on the Bees. In fairness, Brentford have faced some tough fixtures, and those could end after the Arsenal clash, where Frank might have a concerted run of results to ease their plight.
Team News & Tactics
Arsenal
Mikel Arteta refused give too much away regarding updates but effectively failed to rule out either Bukayo Saka or Gabriel Martinelli. The duo left the field against Sheffield United at different times, with the manager insisting Saka felt sick at half-time, while the Brazilian suffered a cut to his leg.
Whether Arteta deems it necessary to field the duo against Brentford remains the question. Arsenal are facing a must-win situation in the Premier League, while they will have one eye on the midweek UEFA Champions League game against FC Porto. Meanwhile, on loan Brentford goalkeeper will be ineligible to play against his parent club, meaning Aaron Ramsdale returns.
Furthermore, there might be more changes to the squad, as key absentees Oleksandr Zinchenko and Takehiro Tomiyasu might return to the matchday squad. Thomas Partey already received considerable minutes under his belt against Sheffield United and will undoubtedly play again at some stage against Brentford.
The big dilemma for Arteta against Brentford would be the selection of Jorginho, who has been such a key figure for Arsenal lately. With the Porto game in mind, the manager might either start him hoping to take a good lead early on or bring back Leandro Trossard, as the other members from last Monday will keep their places.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Ramsdale; Ben White, Saliba, Gabriel, Kiwior; Odegaard, Rice, Trossard; Saka, Havertz, Martinelli
Brentford
One might sympathise with Brentford’s plight as they have many critical injuries. Some of their leading players could miss the remainder of the campaign as Thomas Frank juggles things with his makeshift backline.
Bryan Mbeumo’s return to training will have boosted the hopes of Brentford fans. However, the Cameroonian attacker might have to wait for another week before resuming his partnership with Ivan Toney. Ben Mee was the latest defender to bow out of contention. So Zanka, Nathan Collins, and Kristoffer Ajer will form the back three for Brentford and will hope to stop a relentless Arsenal attacking unit.
Even on the wings they are missing critical stars like Aaron Hickey and Rico Henry. Mads Roerslev has done a decent job in the wing-back role, while Tottenham loanee Sergio Reguilon will continue to start on the left flank. Christian Norgaard remains best placed to start in the holding midfield role, while Frank Onyeka and Vitaly Janelt will provide support on either side.
In the frontline, Toney will start in a two-prone attacking setup and will aim to trouble the Arsenal backline as he did in the same fixture last season. He will have Yoane Wissa for the company in the attacking third, with regular villain to the Gunners, Neal Maupay only finding a place on the bench.
Probable Lineup (3-5-2): Flekken; Zanka, Ajer, Collins; Roerslev, Onyeka, Norgaard, Janelt, Reguilon; Toney, Wissa
Key Stats
- Arsenal have scored at least four goals in their last four matches in the Premier League.
- Arsenal have only conceded three goals in their last seven Premier League games.
- Arsenal have won their last seven matches in the Premier League.
- Brentford have lost seven of their last eight away games in the Premier League.
- Brentford have won only once in their last seven Premier League matches.
Player to Watch
Aaron Ramsdale
A high-profile return to the Arsenal eleven awaits Ramsdale against Brentford, although, had Mikel Arteta had the choice, he would have played David Raya. In the reverse fixture, when the Englishman played in the starting lineup, he was a bit shaky, something the manager would not want this time around, considering the context of the game and what is at stake for the team.
Hence, Ramsdale must take his minimal opportunities on the horizon and make the best out of them. These are the rare instances where he can show Arteta and especially Gareth Southgate that he still has the quality to play at the highest level, as Arsenal fans will hope Ramsdale puts on a big performance and helps the team in the title push.
Prediction
Arsenal 4-1 Brentford
Brentford could become that trap game for Arsenal, although considering the circumstances and the Bees’ depleted squad, one will assume the Gunners to take three points in style. Arsenal are in the best run of form among all other teams in the division and will follow through on their momentum heading into the weekend.
The Bees also have more pressure to get closer to the relegation zone than they would have liked. Considering every other factor before this game, Brentford still have the quality to hurt Arsenal’s defence and score an odd goal. Still, at this moment in time, the Gunners are in the form of their lives and will score plenty past Thomas Frank’s side to go top of the league, albeit until Sunday.
