Brentford FC will host Arsenal at the GTech Community Stadium in what should be a fascinating London derby this Sunday.
It feels like an age since Brentford defeated Arsenal on the opening weekend of last season. That was the game that announced Brentford to the Premier League, and they pretty much haven’t looked back.
This season, Brentford has already had two memorable wins, thrashing Manchester United 4-0 and another massive 5-2 victory against Leeds United. Despite failing to win between those games, Brentford remains unbeaten at home this season and will be keen to keep that record intact against The Gunners.
Part of Brentford’s success so far has been their star striker, Ivan Toney, whose performances have earned him a call-up to to the Three Lions. Brentford has scored 15 goals this season, with Tony contributing five of those.
🦁 @IvanToney24 🤝 @England
— Brentford FC (@BrentfordFC) September 15, 2022
Huge congratulations to Ivan on his first #ThreeLions call-up 👊#BrentfordFC
The team has looked sharp overall in attack, and much of that comes from a solid defensive unit and a creative midfield. The addition of Ben Mee at the back, who has made the most passes for Brentford (317), was a masterstroke by manager Thomas Frank.
In 223 appearances in the Premier League, Mee has played 851 accurate long balls, proving he’s a key to Brentford quickly bypassing the opposition midfield to get the ball to pacey players such as Bryan Mbeumo. The Cameroonian has already scored two goals in six games this season (he scored four goals in 35 games last season).
Brentford will probably look at the Gunner’s only loss this season (against Man United) to see if they can create similar conditions for Mikel Arteta’s men on Sunday. Arsenal is excellent at keeping ball possession but struggles with pacey teams that can turn over the ball and counterattack from any position on the field.
Luckily, this is a massive part of Frank’s tactics, getting the ball to attackers as quickly as possible. Brentford has had 43 shots at goal in the last three games alone.
Arsenal will be looking to get back to winning in the Premier League after suffering their first defeat this season against Manchester United at Old Trafford.
Arsenal controlled that game with 61% possession and had 16 shots goal, but only three were on target. The loss was a wake-up call for Arteta’s men to find new solutions in games where they control possession but can’t create enough goal-scoring chances.
Against Brentford, they could face such a predicament and expose themselves to Brentford’s counterattack should they push up in search of a goal.
William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes, who are Arsenal’s top passers this season so far, will have to deal with the pressure exerted by Ivan Toney, who doesn’t only contribute with goals but helps with the overall team press and holds the ball up well.
The Arsenal defence has faced one ‘traditional’ number 9 this season, Aleksandar Mitrovic, and he scored the opener when Fulham lost 2-1 to the Gunners at the Emirates Stadium, meaning the Arsenal defence will have to be on their toes because Toney is just as good if not better.
Luckily for Arsenal, Thomas Partey has returned to training and could make his return against Brentford this weekend, giving them an extra shield for their defence, and he also offers his height when they defend set pieces.
Thomas Partey is back from the injury and he is training with the rest of the team.Partey will be available for selection against Brentford on Sunday. Great news gooners🔥. If you are happy to see him in with the team hit the like button 💪 pic.twitter.com/rVyQJgow1Z
— Jimmy Houking (@houking_avsco) September 13, 2022
Arsenal’s strength in attack has been Gabriel Jesus, Gabriel Martinelli, and Bakayo Saka, with the creative spark provided by Martin Odegaard, who has also contributed with three goals this season. With Partey back in the side, Odegaard will have more freedom in attack, knowing he’s got better cover than Sambi Lokonga, who’s done well in the defensive midfielder role, but is no Partey.
Verdict: Both Teams to Score: Yes @ 5/8
This will be a highly contested game, with both sides looking to go to the international break on a positive. Two great attacking sides will be on show here, and I certainly wouldn’t be against either of them failing to find the back of the net.
