Brentford and Arsenal meet this Saturday at Gtech Community Stadium (5.30pm kick-off) with both sides looking to preserve fantastic records of late in London derby games.
The Bees enter the contest undefeated in their last 14 Premier League London derbies (W8 D6) – a club record - with Arsenal (W11 D5) the only team in the capital on a longer unbeaten streak in derby fixtures.
To add further spice to Saturday's encounter, Brentford's last derby loss came against the Gunners in September 2022 - the Bees slipping to a 3-0 reverse as Mikel Arteta's side turned in a slick away performance.
Pre-match analysis
Stephen Gillett, Playmaker Stats: Can Brentford breach Arsenal’s stubborn backline?
Even though Arsenal are unable to call upon ineligible Brentford loanee David Raya, the north Londoners have been defensive mean machines on the road thus far this season.
Mikkel Arteta's side have shipped fewer away goals (3) than any team in the top flight and Arsenal have largely been watertight on their travels - although their one Premier League defeat of the season (a hugely controversial 1-0 loss to Newcastle) did come on the road.
The Gunners are a tough nut to crack and for a team commonly associated with fluid football they have been incredibly effective when the ball has gone 'dead' this season.
To illustrate the point, Arsenal have scored more goals from dead-ball situations (14 including penalties) than any team in the Premier League this season. Further, no team has conceded fewer goals from such situations in the top flight than the Gunners (2).
Brentford love a challenge, however, and the Bees will hope their fabled prowess from set-pieces can cause Arsenal serious problems. The stats, at present, suggest Thomas Frank's side have deserved far greater reward than two goals from a league-leading 67 shots from set-pieces this season.
They may be a point off the top, but the general consensus is that Arsenal have yet to properly hit their stride this season and a closer look at their numbers suggests they have literally been slow starters.
The Gunners are among only four teams (along with Sheffield Utd, Luton Town and Manchester United) yet to score in the opening 15 minutes of a Premier League game so far this season, and their goal difference of -2 between 0-15 minutes should incentivise Brentford to fly out of the traps on Saturday.
On the flip side of that coin, Arsenal have scored more goals (8) than any team between 76-90+ minutes and their seven goals from substitutes this term underlines the sheer depth of attacking options at the Gunners' disposal.
The game will mark Arteta’s 200th game in charge of the Gunners - can Brentford make it an eminently forgettable landmark?
Scout Report
Arsenal flying high despite lengthy injury list
Given Manchester City’s dominance of the Premier League in recent years, Arsenal will no doubt be wondering what might have been last season.
Mikel Arteta’s side stormed to the top of the division last August and were five points clear of second-placed City by the time domestic football paused for the World Cup in November, having won 12 of their first 14 games.
They stayed there until April, too. But by that point any stuttering from City was a thing of the past; as Pep Guardiola’s men hit their stride, the Gunners buckled. They won three, drew three and lost three in the final nine, as the increasing pressure placed upon them finally told. They finished as runners-up, five points off the pace.
“We want to deliver success and the destination has to be trophy success and enjoyment for this club, but we have to enjoy the journey to get there,” said Arteta after his side’s 5-0 win at home to Wolves on the final day, which mattered little, but ensured they finished a thoroughly positive season on a high note.
The lofty league position - the Gunners’ highest since 2015/16 - as well as a return to the Champions League for the first time in six seasons, attracted squad additions of the highest calibre, suggesting the north London club has completed its time away from the spotlight and is ready to ensure last term was not just simply just a flash in the pan.
Yet, while Declan Rice has slotted seamlessly into Arsenal’s midfield and David Raya has claimed the no.1 shirt from Aaron Ramsdale, Jurrien Timber suffered an ACL injury in August and Kai Havertz is yet to fully justify why the club shelled out £65 million to bring him in from Chelsea in the summer - playing at left-back for Germany during November’s international break has, however, showed there is an untapped versatility to him.
That said, Arteta’s men have ticked along nicely over the first four months of the campaign, albeit perhaps not quite in the same, ruthless manner as 2022/23.
Arsenal collected their first piece of silverware after beating City on penalties in the Community Shield and, though they exited the Carabao Cup at the fourth-round stage after falling to a 3-1 defeat at West Ham, their first season back in the Champions League is going very smoothly; with three wins from their four group-stage games to date, qualification for the knockout stage should soon follow.
Third place in the Premier League is theirs at the moment, too, which makes them very much part of the title race that is shaping up nicely with almost a third of the season gone - 12 games in, three points separate City in first and Aston Villa in fifth.
The Gunners have the joint-best defensive record in the division alongside Liverpool (10 conceded), with both teams having lost only one game each.
Though they have coped well, injuries have been biting at times, as Kaya Kaynak, chief Arsenal writer for football.london tells us, and speaking just before the international break, following the 3-1 win over Burnley at Emirates Stadium, Arteta alluded to the fact he was happy with the state of his squad, but that he needed everyone back and pulling their weight for a busy festive period.
"We're in a really strong position for the international break,” he said. “We need to get players back because, at the moment, we have eight players not available and that's a lot. In December we have 11 games coming up, so we'd better get everyone ready."
As cliché and obvious as it sounds, the sheer number of games means Christmas will be key for Arsenal’s season. Coming through unscathed will be of paramount importance to keep their hopes of success intact.
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 150 games in charge of the Gunners last season and is now two away from 200; a milestone only 10 managers in the club’s history have surpassed.
More impressively, the 116 wins he has overseen during his time in charge represent a win ratio of 58.6 per cent, which is the highest in club history.
Under his stewardship, Arsenal have so far lifted the FA Cup once and the Community Shield twice.
Team News
Collins ruled out of Arsenal clash
Nathan Collins has been ruled out of Saturday's game at Gtech Community Stadium.
Collins suffered an ankle injury while playing for Republic of Ireland against Netherlands during the international break and head coach Thomas Frank, speaking during his pre-match press conference, revealed that the defender will be sidelined for “weeks”.
Keane Lewis-Potter and Shandon Baptiste are both available for selection having recovered from calf and shoulder injuries respectively.
Josh Dasilva (hamstring) and Mikkel Damsgaard (knee) are progressing well but the game will come too soon for the midfield duo.
The Gameplan
With Kaya Kaynak, chief Arsenal writer for football.london
Kaya Kaynak, chief Arsenal writer for football.london, explains how Mikkel Arteta is likely to set up his side on Saturday:
“It will be the standard 4-3-3, depending on personnel. You will see Arsenal play with inverted full-backs and Saka and Martinelli will go one-v-one with their wing-backs.
“It is going to be a difficult game for Brentford in terms of picking up Arsenal players because they will move all over the place.
“This season, Arsenal are a lot better defensively. They are not conceding many goals and, if you look at the xG stats, they have only conceded more than one xG in two games. Their defensive record is impressive and that is something to keep an eye on.”
Read the full interview with Kaya Kaynak here
Match Officials
Robinson to referee Arsenal visit
Tim Robinson officiated his first Premier League match in December 2019; Burnley’s 1-0 victory over Newcastle United.
In the 12 games that Robinson has refereed this term, he has shown 56 yellow cards. He is yet to produce a red card this season.
Robinson’s last visit to Gtech Community Stadium was for Brentford’s penalty shootout defeat to Gillingham in the Carabao Cup in November 2022.
Last Meeting
Brentford 0 Arsenal 1 (Carabao Cup, 27 September 2023)
Reiss Nelson’s early goal was enough to settle September’s Carabao Cup tie at Gtech Community Stadium, as Arsenal advanced to the fourth round with a 1-0 win over Brentford.
Nelson capitalised on an unfortunate Zanka backpass to roll the Gunners ahead after just eight minutes.
The home side struggled to put the Arsenal goal under sustained pressure before the break, but it was a different story in the second half.
Aaron Ramsdale made two outstanding saves to deny Yoane Wissa and Frank Onyeka, while substitutes Saman Ghoddos and Keane Lewis-Potter both saw shots cleared off the line as the away side clung on to progress.