Tottenham Hotspur kick-start their Premier League campaign with a London derby against Brentford, as Roberto De Zerbi aims for a winning start.
Brentford were the surprise package last season, as they had been widely tipped for relegation following Thomas Frank’s departure. Many expected new boss Keith Andrews to take the team back to the Championship, but the inexperienced manager instead came close to securing a European place for the Bees.
Despite enjoying a strong season overall, Brentford’s return of one win in their final 10 Premier League games cost them a place in Europe. There will be optimism that they can improve on last season’s performances, as Andrews will want a strong start to the campaign against Tottenham.
Whether they are strong enough to beat their London neighbours remains the question, but the Bees certainly can spring a surprise. However, they have never beaten Spurs at the Gtech Community Stadium, something Andrews will want to change. With a strong end to their pre-season campaign fresh in their minds, Brentford should be ready to take on Spurs on Saturday.
Tottenham fans will certainly not want a repeat of a disastrous 2025/26 campaign, which saw them finish 17th. In another world, they could have been playing Championship football this term. However, Roberto De Zerbi’s late arrival played a role in changing their fortunes, and the Italian is now tasked with leading Spurs to a better position, with the main objective of breaking back into the Champions League places.
Spurs have seen unprecedented spending this summer, and considerable effort has been made to strengthen the squad. Tottenham broke their transfer record twice, first with Mateus Fernandes and then Sandro Tonali, while they have also brought in quality defenders with plenty of experience. More arrivals could be on the horizon following David Ornstein’s update on their pursuit of Savinho and Omar Marmoush from Manchester City.
However, the major concern is how much they can improve in the upcoming season, as De Zerbi must engineer a strong start to the campaign. Spurs have lost just once in their last 10 opening-day Premier League fixtures, and the Italian will hope that record continues. While Tottenham have not lost to Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium, they have drawn four of their last five visits there.
Team News & Tactics
Brentford
Keith Andrews is poised to pick a strong line-up, one similar to last season’s, barring the introduction of summer arrival Mamadou Sangare, who joined for a club-record fee from RC Lens. He will partner Vitaly Janelt in the middle of the park.
On the injury front, Brentford are likely to be without Sepp van den Berg and Antoni Milambo. Beyond those two, Andrews’s squad has a good bill of health, and the backline will have a familiar feel to that of last season.
Kristoffer Ajer and Nathan Collins are pencilled in for the central defensive roles, with Michael Kayode and Keane Lewis-Potter in the full-back positions. Mathias Jensen is likely to assume the attacking midfield role ahead of Mikkel Damsgaard, with Dango Ouattara and Kevin Schade starting on the wings.
Finally, last season’s top scorer, Igor Thiago, who endured a disappointing World Cup campaign with Brazil, will lead the line for Brentford in the new season and will certainly hope to get on the scoresheet.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Kelleher; Kayode, Ajer, Collins, Lewis-Potter; Janelt, Sangare; Ouattara, Jensen, Schade; Thiago
Tottenham Hotspur
As Roberto De Zerbi picks up his pen to write down his lineup for the first game, he will be faced with Tottenham’s long list of injury concerns. Last term, the North Londoners suffered the most injury-enforced absences, and that trend appears set to continue, with several first-team stars unavailable.
Dejan Kulusevski, Xavi Simons, and Wilson Odobert are long-term absentees, with the Swede expected to return earliest among the trio. Mohammed Kudus, Destiny Udogie, and Dominic Solanke are also expected to return soon, while Spurs suffered a fresh blow with Micky van de Ven, who has not trained with the group all week.
As far as the lineup is concerned, there could be some surprising names in the starting eleven, with Spurs expected to field an entirely new defensive and midfield set-up for this clash. Marco Senesi, Jan Paul van Hecke, and Andrew Robertson are all expected to make their competitive debuts alongside Mateus Fernandes and Tonali.
Considering the lack of wingers at the moment, De Zerbi could bring Mikey Moore into the right-wing role. He may also have to choose between Conor Gallagher and James Maddison in the attacking midfield roles, with Gallagher more likely to start due to their respective fitness levels.
Mathys Tel could start on the left flank, while Richarlison, who featured heavily in pre-season, is expected to lead the line despite uncertainty surrounding his future before the transfer deadline.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Kinsky; Gray, van Hecke, Senesi, Robertson; Fernandes, Tonali; Moore, Gallagher, Tel; Richarlison
Key Stats
- Brentford have won only one of their last 10 Premier League games.
- Brentford did not lose a single London derby at home last season.
- Tottenham have drawn four of their last five Premier League games against Brentford away from home.
- Tottenham have lost just once in their last 10 opening-day Premier League fixtures.
- Igor Thiago boasted the best shot conversion rate of any player to take 25 or more shots in the Premier League last season (26.2% – 22/84). Similarly, among those to score 15+ goals across Europe’s big-five leagues in 2025/26, only Harry Kane (30.3%) and Joaquín Panichelli (27.1%) had a better conversion rate.
Player to Watch
Sandro Tonali
Tottenham’s record-breaking signing will be under the spotlight ahead of the Premier League opener against Brentford. The Italian will face considerable pressure to stabilise Spurs’ midfield, with all eyes on how he develops a strong partnership with fellow summer signing Fernandes.
Midfield was a major problem for Spurs last season, and the arrivals of Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes should bring fresh energy to the centre of the pitch. Tonali, in particular, will have a major role to play for the North Londoners.
The Italian won possession overall (147) and in the middle third (87) more times than any Spurs or Newcastle United player in the Premier League last season; he also averaged 16.8 forward passes and 3.3 progressive passes per 90 minutes, more than any Spurs midfielder in the top-flight last term. The opening game against Brentford will allow supporters to get a closer look at him and assess how important he could become for the team moving forward.
Prediction
Brentford 2-2 Tottenham Hotspur
Brentford are in a stronger position than many might anticipate ahead of this opening fixture against Tottenham. The Bees have a good home record against the traditional big teams and could spring a surprise against Spurs on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Tottenham look stronger from a squad perspective following their new arrivals, although it is understandable that they may need time to gel. Therefore, it would not be unprecedented to see them drop points, as this game could very well end in an entertaining draw.
