Brentford have issued team news ahead of their visit to Arsenal, with key players returning and others still out.
Arsenal return to Premier League action on Saturday with the visit of Brentford to the Emirates Stadium, seeking to maintain momentum after an historic 3–0 win over Real Madrid in the Champions League.
The Gunners, currently second in the Premier League table, are 20 points clear of 12th-placed Brentford and enter this weekend’s match as firm favourites, even though they are sure to field a weakened team with the second leg against Real Madrid four days later.
Ahead of the fixture, Brentford head coach Thomas Frank provided a fitness update that leaves the west London club without several key players.
“There is no new injury news,” Frank said. “Everyone who was available for Chelsea is available again, so that’s positive. The three guys who are getting closer – Aaron Hickey, Igor Thiago and Gustavo Nunes – are progressing and going in the right direction. Gustavo is the closest of the three. Let’s see.”
Rico Henry and Mathias Jensen returned to the squad for last weekend’s goalless draw against Chelsea, but the Bees remain without former Gunner Josh Dasilva (knee) and Fábio Carvalho, who is unlikely to return before the end of the season due to a shoulder injury.
Thiago, a long-term absentee, has not featured since December.
The visitors are likely to field a similar side to the one that held Chelsea; Flekken, Ajer, Collins, van den Berg, Lewis-Potter, Norgaard, Yarmolyuk, Mbeumo, Damsgaard, Schade, Wissa.
“I would like to play as offensive as possible but we need to defend a bit against Arsenal,” Frank said when asked about his approach to the trip to the Emirates.
“Hopefully we can be as much as possible in the middle and high pressure. No matter which players they put out there, they will be good players. They play the same style, with the same principles, no matter who is on the pitch.
“There are a few positional changes, but the overall structure and principles will be the same.”
Brentford’s recent record against Arsenal in the Premier League is a sobering one. Having famously beaten Arsenal 2–0 in their first ever top-flight match in August 2021, when the Gunners were hit by Covid, they have since lost five of their last six meetings (drawing the other).
Arsenal, meanwhile, have not lost to Brentford at home in any competition since April 1938. The Gunners lost all three games against Brentford that year without scoring a single goal. Arsenal have lost just once since, scoring 23 in 12 games.
Arsenal are also in dominant form in London derbies, having won 12 of their last 15 in the Premier League. They’ve scored five or more goals in a third of those matches.
That said, Brentford have quietly improved their own record on the road in the capital, winning their last two London derbies away from home after losing the previous seven.
Saturday’s match kicks off at 5:30pm local time and will be broadcast live on Sky Sports.
With Arsenal aiming to maintain their league position and Brentford looking to secure a top-half finish, both sides will be eager to make a statement.
For Mikel Arteta, the task is to shift focus back to domestic matters following one of Arsenal’s most complete European performances in modern history.