Brentford will host Ipswich Town at the Gtech Community Stadium on Saturday, looking to bounce back from the disappointing defeat against Manchester United.
Brentford have picked up two wins from their last six Premier League games, and the fans will demand a strong reaction when they welcome Ipswich Town to the Gtech Community Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
The Bees are certainly good enough to pick up a victory here against a struggling Ipswich Town side. Meanwhile, the visitors are 17th in the league table, and they are yet to register a victory in the Premier League this season.
The Tractor are on a winless run right now, and it will be interesting to see if they can turn things around and bounce back. Ipswich are coming into this game on the back of defeats against West Ham United and Everton.
Kieran McKenna’s men will have to reach their performance levels dramatically if they want to grind out all three points against Brentford away from home. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the first-ever Premier League meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Brentford
Brentford will be without Joshua Dasilva because of a knee injury, Gustavo Nunes because of a back injury, Rico Henry because of a knee injury, Aaron Hickey because of a thigh injury, and Igor Thiago because of a knee injury.
The home side will shape up in a 4-3-3 formation, with Mark Flekken in goal. Mads Roerslev and Kristoffer Ajer will be deployed as the full-backs here. They will look to help out at both ends of the pitch. Nathan Collins will start in the central defensive partnership alongside Ethan Pinnock.
As for the midfield unit, Vitaly Janelt will start as the defensive midfielder alongside Christian Norgaard and Mikkel Damsgaard. Janelt and Norgaard will look to provide defensive cover and break up opposition attacks. Damsgaard will add creativity and drive in the middle of the park. Kevin Schade will lead the line for Brentford, with Bryan Mbeumo and Keane Lewis-Potter on either side of him.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Flekken; Roerslev, Collins, Pinnock, Ajer; Norgaard, Janelt, Damsgaard; Mbeumo, Schade, Lewis-Potter
Ipswich Town
Ipswich Town will be without Janoi Donacien due to a groin issue. Massimo Luongo has an ankle injury, and Axel Tuanzebe misses out with a hand injury.
The away side will shape up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Arijanet Muric in goal. Ben Johnson and Leif Davis will start as the full-backs here, and they will look to keep things tight at the back and hit Brentford on the counter. Luke Woolfenden and Jacob Greaves will start at the heart of the defence.
As for the midfield unit, Samy Morsy and Jack Taylor will start in the double pivot, and they will look to protect the back four and break up opposition attacks. Wes Burns and Omari Hutchinson will look to add goals and creativity to the side from the flanks.
Conor Chaplin will start in the number ten role, and he will look to open up the Brentford defence with his passing and link-up play. Finally, Liam Delap will lead the line for Ipswich Town against Brentford this weekend.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Muric; Johnson, Woolfenden, Greaves, Davis; Morsy, Taylor; Burns, Chaplin, Hutchison; Delap
Key Stats
- Brentford have seen under 2.5 goals in their last six matches against Ipswich in all competitions.
- Brentford have kept a clean sheet in their last three home matches against Ipswich Town in all competitions.
- Ipswich town have failed to win their last ten matches in the Premier League.
- 11 goals have been scored in the last six meetings between these two sides.
- Brentford are winless in four of their last six Premier League matches.
Player to Watch
Bryan Mbeumo
The Brentford winger is our key player to watch out for. He could carve open the Ipswich defence with his pace, flair and technical ability. He will look to open up chances for his teammates and get on the score sheet himself. Mbeumo could cause all sorts of problems for Ipswich here and he could make a big difference in the final third for the Bees.
Prediction
Brentford 2-1 Ipswich Town
Despite their inconsistent form in recent weeks, Brentford are the better team here and they should be able to grind out all three points. Ipswich Town are yet to pick up a single victory in the league, and they are completely devoid of form and confidence.
The Tractor Boys were comfortably beaten by West Ham United and Everton in the last two outings, and Brentford are likely to pile further misery on them. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-1 win for Thomas Frank and his charges.