Brentford head to Emirates Stadium on Saturday to take on Premier League title challengers Arsenal, live on Sky Sports (5.30pm kick-off GMT).
The Bees have faced the north Londoners twice so far this season, narrowly losing 1-0 in both the Premier League and Carabao Cup.
Thomas Frank's side drew 2-2 with Chelsea last time out, while Arsenal extended their winning streak in the league to seven matches with a 6-0 victory at Sheffield United.
PRE-MATCH ANALYSIS
Alex Lawes, Playmaker Stats: Brentford face stern test at the Emirates
Aaron Ramsdale is expected to start in goal for Arsenal this weekend, with David Raya ineligible after joining the Gunners on loan from Brentford last summer.
And the disruption at the back for Mikel Arteta's may be something the Bees can seek to exploit.
No keeper in the division has kept more clean sheets than the nine Raya has earned so far this season in the Premier League and the Spaniard is aiming to have the most shutouts in total over the last two seasons (he is currently level with Liverpool's Alisson on 21).
That said, Raya has received plenty of protection from the meanest defence in the top flight.
In fact, Arsenal have conceded the fewest goals in the league (23) and, going forward, they have the most productive attack in the league (68).
Their 6-0 defeat of Sheffield United last Monday was their seventh successive victory in the league and they have scored 31 times in those seven matches.
There is a certain control about the way the Gunners have gone about their business, both mentally and tactically. They have received the fewest bookings in the league (41) and also conceded the fewest shots on target (61).
It will be interesting to see, therefore, whether Arteta's side can curb a Brentford side that - though less secure defensively this season - have been involved in plenty of free-scoring encounters.
To underline this point, Brentford have conceded four more goals than they did in the entirety of last season, but their 2-2 draw with west London rivals Chelsea last weekend does mean they have now scored two or more goals in six of their last nine matches across all competitions, since Ivan Toney returned from suspension.
The Bees can look at the Premier League's expected goals statistics with some hope. Thomas Frank's side are the third biggest underperformers in relation to their xG, with only Everton and Chelsea scoring fewer goals than their performances would have statistically suggested. Given that, it is likely there will be a reversion to the mean at some stage.
Brentford went ahead in north London against Tottenham Hotspur in January, took the lead against Manchester City and came from behind to lead against Chelsea last week. They got a point at Emirates Stadium last season and have consistently bloodied the noses of teams with more resources than them since gaining promotion to the Premier League in 2021.
Here’s a rather random stat to finish with: Arsenal are the top scorers from set-pieces in the Premier League with 18 goals, and they have earned 163 corners this season - all but one of them being an in-swinger!
Scout Report
Arsenal showing sheer ruthlessness as Premier League run-in approaches
On the day of this game, exactly one year prior, Arsenal were leading the way in the Premier League. The Gunners were five points clear of second-placed Manchester City and, seemingly, on their way to a first title since 2003/04, with 12 games to go.
Fairy tales rarely happen in football, though. The pressure caught up with them and three wins in the last nine was simply not sufficient to halt Pep Guardiola’s juggernaut from retaining the trophy for the third straight season and a fifth time in six campaigns.
This time around, there’s a captivating three-way title race taking shape and the Gunners – clearly keen to prove last term was not a one-off - are right in the thick of it.
27 games in, Liverpool lead the way on 63 points, Manchester City are second on 62 and Mikel Arteta’s men are third on 61. It could hardly be better set up for a dramatic finale.
It is also pretty hard to call at this stage, given the strength of each team’s form.
Liverpool have won eight of their last nine – with the one defeat coming against Arsenal at the Emirates – but they do face a hectic month, with two league games, an FA Cup quarter-final against Manchester United and a two-legged Europa League last-16 tie against Sparta Prague. The Reds are relying on many youth prospects at the moment, too, following a string of injuries to key players.
Similarly, Manchester City have won 10 of their last 12, will face Newcastle in the last eight of the FA Cup and are through to the quarter-final of the Champions League.
With that in mind, on paper at least, Arsenal are probably the best placed to give another title tilt a real go.
They are still in the Champions League and have a 1-0 aggregate deficit to turn over against Porto three days after Brentford’s visit to the Emirates, but their Carabao Cup run was over by the start of November and a 2-0 defeat to Liverpool meant they did not make it past the third round of the FA Cup for only the third time since the 1995/96 season.
The crucial Christmas period was always going to pose a challenge and it proved that way, with the Gunners picking up only 10 of the 21 points on offer and ending the year with a 2-1 defeat to Fulham – their first loss at Craven Cottage since January 2012.
But they have come out of the other side unscathed and have shown sheer ruthlessness in recent weeks in order to claw their way back into the conversation they were dangerously close to slipping out of; they have won seven games in succession, scoring 31 goals and conceding just three. It’s been some response.
“We have to believe we can win every game,” said Arteta after the 5-0 win over Burnley on 17 February. “We are approaching every game in that way. When the team has that belief and confidence, something good can happen.
“We know the standards and what it will require – we have to keep elevating those standards. I believe we can do that as I see them in training every single day. Let’s go for it.”
With that mindset, it could be second time lucky for the high-flying Gunners.
IN THE DUGOUT
Mikel Arteta
Mikel Arteta was a product of Barcelona’s famed La Masia youth set-up in the late 1990s and started his professional career at Barcelona B, for whom he played until 2002, with a loan spell at Paris Saint-Germain preceding his sale to Rangers for £6 million.
In 2002/03 - the first of his two seasons at Ibrox - he lifted the Scottish Premier League and League Cup. After 68 appearances and 14 goals in all competitions, he returned to Spain in the summer of 2004 and signed for Real Sociedad.
However, his time at Anoeta was over in a flash; he started three league games during the first half of the season, before joining Everton on loan.
He was an instant hit at Goodison Park and signed a five-year deal in 2005. He ended up staying for seven seasons and more than 200 appearances.
Such was his talent that there was even speculation he could play for England under Fabio Capello, having not received a Spain call-up, though it ultimately did not materialise.
In August 2011, Arteta signed for Arsenal for a reported fee of £10m and, three years later, was appointed club captain by Arsène Wenger. He appeared 150 times for the Gunners, winning the FA Cup and Community Shield on two occasions each.
He retired in 2016 at the age of 34 and soon became part of Pep Guardiola’s coaching team at Manchester City.
In 2018, he was linked with a return to the Emirates Stadium after Wenger’s exit. Although fellow Spaniard Unai Emery took on the role of manager at that time, Arteta replaced him in December 2019. He led them to a second FA Cup win in four years but could not prevent an eighth-place finish - the lowest since 1994/95.
The 41-year-old surpassed 200 games in charge of the Gunners this season; a milestone only 10 managers in the club’s history have surpassed.
Under his stewardship, Arsenal have so far lifted the FA Cup once and the Community Shield twice.
The Gameplan
With Kaya Kaynak, chief Arsenal writer for football.london
Kaya Kaynak, chief Arsenal writer for football.london, explains how Mikel Arteta is likely to set up his side on Saturday:
"It will be similar to the way they have been playing all season, that 4-3-3 that we know. They are going to press high and try and win the ball from Brentford high up the pitch and not give them a minute to breathe, which is going to be very difficult for them to deal with.
"Arsenal have got two monsters at the back in Gabriel and William Saliba who will be able to win balls high from the likes of Ivan Toney and Neal Maupay and it will be interesting to see those duels.
"There is going to be some rotation and, with Gabriel Martinelli an injury doubt going into this game, what will Arsenal do? Will they play Leandro Trossard or someone else?
"There are a few changes that could be made, but the basic 4-3-3 will be the same and you can expect them to try and overload the wide areas because that is where they have been doing really well recently."
Read the full interview with Kaya Kaynak here
Team News
Toney to start against Arsenal
Brentford head coach Thomas Frank has confirmed that Ivan Toney will start against Arsenal.
Toney was seen limping towards the end of the Bees’ 2-2 draw with Chelsea last weekend, but Frank quashed any suggestions the striker would be unavailable for Saturday’s trip to Emirates Stadium.
Fellow forward Bryan Mbeumo, who has been out since the start of December due to an ankle injury, is progressing well and could return for Manchester United’s visit to west London on 30 March.
“It’s a balance,” said Frank. “If I see on the training ground that he [Mbeumo] is there - when I see that he is sharp, performing and has got up to the minimum level – then it will be about deciding how much he can play.
“He’s obviously a key player. With the type of injury he had, touch wood, he cannot get a setback. It’s not a hamstring, for example, where he could provoke it. It’s just about fitness and sharpness.”
Brentford are also helping to welcome defender Ethan Pinnock (ankle) back after the March international break, while last month Frank revealed his hope that both Aaron Hickey (hamstring) and Kevin Schade (adductor) will be back before the end of the campaign.
Rico Henry (knee), Josh Dasilva (knee) and Ben Mee (ankle) are sidelined for the remainder of the season.
LAST AWAY TRIP
Brentford 1 Arsenal 1 (Premier League, 11 February 2023)
Ivan Toney's header gave Brentford a thoroughly deserved share of the spoils against Arsenal in February 2023.
Toney nodded home from close range with 16 minutes to play, cancelling out substitute Leandro Trossard’s opener, as the Bees extended their unbeaten run in the top flight to 10 matches.
Had Rico Henry or Toney taken very presentable first-half chances, Thomas Frank’s side could well have added Arsenal to their impressive list of league scalps last term, but a point was still fine reward for an excellent performance on the road.
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