Thomas Frank returns to his old stomping grounds at Brentford as he takes his Tottenham side to what could be a tough away fixture.
Football is a strange sport of perceptions, as at the start of the season, former Brentford boss Thomas Frank was tipped for great things at Tottenham and Keith Andrews for relegation. Yet, ahead of New Year’s Eve, Andrews’s men can extend the gap over Spurs to four points should he steer towards a win over his predecessor.
Now, readying himself to face his former boss, Andrews will look at two things: one being their recent defeat to Spurs and their tremendous record at the Gtech Community Stadium, where they have four wins and a draw in their last five.
In the most recent game, Brentford dispatched Bournemouth with a 4-1 scoreline, with a Kevin Schade hat-trick the highlight of the game. Now, they will pose a big threat to visitors Tottenham, who may still hold the claim as one of the best away sides in the division.
Two wins in nine Premier League matches do not warrant conversations about Tottenham being in an intense race for the top-four places. Instead, it does scream a bit of mediocrity, although Frank is hoping the win over Crystal Palace at the weekend will bring about some much-needed momentum.
An Archie Gray strike proved enough to secure the points at Selhurst Park, but now, Frank returning to Brentford as the opposing manager with Tottenham will bring its own pressure. This is a game where one of the best away teams in the division meets one of the top ones on home soil.
The win over Crystal Palace did not help Spurs to climb back into the top half of the table, but instead, they might need a few more good results to put in a concerted effort to get back on form. Hence, the clash on New Year’s Eve against Brentford has a lot more importance to it, as Frank will want to make a statement of intent with a win.
Team News & Tactics
Brentford
There are not many changes to the Brentford injury situation heading into the midweek game against Spurs, as Sepp van den Berg might be the closest to making a return. The Dutch defender missed out on the win over Bournemouth with a knock, as it remains to be seen whether he becomes available again.
However, following the stellar win over the Cherries, Keith Andrews may not want to disturb the pack at the moment, with Michael Kayode, Kristoffer Ajer, Nathan Collins and Aaron Hickey likely to feature in the back four.
The latter might come in place of Rico Henry, as both full-backs need time on the pitch to regain full match sharpness. Antoni Milamboi, Paris Maghoma and Fabio Carvalho are the ones confirmed to be out of action, while Frank Onyeka and record signing Dango Ouattara are off to the AFCON.
Vitaly Janelt and Yehor Yarmolyuk are likely to continue in central midfield, while Mikkel Damsgaard might come into the attacking midfield role in place of Mathias Jensen. Andrews is unlikely to change anything from his front three as hat-trick hero Schade will keep his place on the left, with Kean Lewis-Potter on the other flank and Igor Thiago leading the line for Brentford against Tottenham.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Kelleher; Kayode, Ajer, Collins, Hickey; Janelt, Yarmolyuk; Lewis-Potter, Damsgaard, Schade; Thiago
Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham secured a win over Crystal Palace without their skipper and centre-back Cristian Romero, with the Argentine international now back in the mix following a one-game ban. He will replace Kevin Danso at the heart of the defence, while there are no more changes expected to the backline.
Destiny Udogie remains sidelined with a thigh problem, while Dejan Kulusevski, James Maddison, and Dominic Solanke are still unavailable with respective injury issues. Xavi Simons continues to serve his three-game ban, and he will miss another game after this one, while Pape Matar Sarr and Yves Bissouma are unavailable due to the AFCON.
Lucas Bergvall was withdrawn against Palace in what appeared to be a groin problem, as his availability for the Brentford clash remains unclear. Hence, there is a big chance for Joao Palhinha to come into the midfield setup.
Either that, or Thomas Frank may stick with Rodrigo Bentancur and match-winner Gray in the central areas with the hope of having Lucas Bergvall fit and available. Randal Kolo Muani is expected to keep his place in the team, while Mohammed Kudus and Richarlison will complete the attacking setup. Meanwhile, Brennan Johnson may not be involved amid the Crystal Palace links.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Vicario; Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Spence; bentancur, Gray; Kudus, Bergvall, Kolo Muani; Richarlison
Key Stats
- Brentford are unbeaten at home in their last five games in the Premier League.
- Tottenham have lost their first league game in two of the last three calendar years (D1), including a 2-1 home loss to Newcastle United in 2025. They have not lost their opening league game in consecutive calendar years since 2008/2009.
- Tottenham have won their last four matches against Brentford in all competitions. Spurs have scored at least two goals in their last five matches against Brentford in all competitions.
- Brentford have won eight of their last 12 Premier League home games (D2 L2), including four of the last five. Since the start of that 12-game run in April, only Manchester City (11), Aston Villa (10) and Arsenal (9) have won more Premier League home games than the Bees.
- Kevin Schade netted three times in Brentford’s 4-1 win over Bournemouth last time out, as many goals as he’d netted in his previous 18 Premier League games. In doing so, he became the first German player to score more than one Premier League hat-trick.
Player to Watch
Richarlison
The Brazilian attacker was unlucky against Crystal Palace to miss out on some crucial goals due to being offside, although he has shown plenty of promise with his movements inside the box. Richarlison is due a big performance for Spurs, and Thomas Frank would want his key centre-forward in top form ahead of the next few games.
It is imperative for Spurs that Richarlison starts firing on all cylinders, and Frank would want a concerted effort towards challenging for a top-four place. The tough away fixture at Brentford will be a big test of character for both Spurs and the Brazilian to showcase their quality.
Prediction
Brentford 2-1 Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham may have come out on top against Crystal Palace, but that was not a convincing performance by any means, as there are plenty of problems with their defence. Moreover, they have two wins in nine Premier League games, which shows they are one of the worst performers in that period, as well as largely inconsistent.
Meanwhile, Brentford have shown different character on home soil, particularly against the big teams this season, as Keith Andrews will once again look for a big scalp here. Given the form and everything else, the Bees are expected to collect three points in this game when Frank returns to the Gtech Community Stadium for the first time since his departure in the summer.