Arsenal vs Brentford – Arsenal will be hoping to improve their chances of finishing in the top four with a win over Brentford in their Premier League match on Saturday at the Emirates Stadium.
The Gunners will be out for vengeance against the Bees, who shocked the Premier League with a 2-0 home win over Mikel Arteta’s side on the season’s opening day.
Arsenal ended a five-game winless run across all competitions when they claimed a slender 1-0 victory away at Wolverhampton Wanderers last Thursday night.
Despite Gabriel Martinelli’s bizarre dismissal midway through the second half, after receiving two bookings in the space of a few seconds, a 25th-minute tap-in from Gabriel Magalhaes was enough to separate the two sides and help the Gunners secure their first three points in 2022.
Mikel Arteta’s men are now positioned sixth in the Premier League table, four points behind Manchester United in fourth but with three games in hand.
Brentford held Crystal Palace to a goalless draw at home last weekend to prevent a sixth consecutive defeat in all competitions.
Thomas Frank will be delighted with his team’s defensive performance, which saw them keep their first clean sheet since beating Everton 1-0 in November last year, but the Dane will be conscious that they must improve soon if they are to avoid relegation.
The Bees are now 14th in the Premier League table, seven points clear of the relegation zone, but all six teams below them have a game in hand.
Arsenal vs Brentford – Team News:
Takehiro Tomiyasu (calf) and Bernd Leno (COVID-19) are both questionable for Arsenal and will be examined before kickoff.
Arteta, on the other hand, is unable to rely upon Martinelli following his dismissal at Molineux, therefore either Emile Smith Rowe or Nicolas Pepe will start.
Granit Xhaka and Thomas Partey are set to keep their central midfield spots, while Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard are expected to give support in the final third for Alexandre Lacazette, who is slated to replace Eddie Nketiah.
Christian Eriksen, a former Tottenham Hotspur playmaker, played in a friendly for Brentford in midweek, but the Bees’ match on Saturday will be too soon for the 30-year-old.
Injured trio Tarique Fosu-Henry, Julian Jeanvier, and Mathias Jorgensen are all out, but Ivan Toney, who has missed the previous two league games due to a calf injury, could return to the matchday squad this weekend.
Toney’s potential return could see him start ahead of Yoane Wissa, while Shandon Baptiste and Frank Onyenka will both be hoping to force their way into the midfield ahead of Mathias Jensen and Vitaly Janelt.
Arsenal possible starting lineup:
Ramsdale; Tomiyasu, White, Gabriel, Tierney; Partey, Xhaka; Saka, Odegaard, Smith Rowe; Lacazette
Brentford possible starting lineup:
Raya; Ajer, Jansson, Pinnock; Canos, Onyeka, Norgaard, Jensen, Henry; Mbeumo, Toney
Arsenal vs Brentford – Head-to-Head:
Our Prediction: Under 3.5 Goals
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