It’s two games in the space of five days for Brentford as Thomas Frank’s side complete a home double header by welcoming Brighton and Hove Albion to Gtech Community Stadium on Wednesday. The match kicks off at 7.30pm and will be broadcast live on TNT Sports.
The Bees drew 1-1 with Manchester United last time out – Kristoffer Ajer cancelling out Mason Mount's opening goal in a dramatic finale in TW8 – while Brighton were edged out by Liverpool. Danny Welbeck gave the Seagulls an early lead before Luis Díaz and Mohamed Salah scored at Anfield.
Pre-match analysis
Richard Cole, Playmaker Stats: Brentford must make their chances count against Brighton
Brentford couldn't have done much more against Manchester United on Saturday; it is still baffling how Thomas Frank's side didn't win that game. The woodwork in particular did its very best to deny the Bees the win against Erik ten Hag's team.
But now Brentford will be taking on a different kind of opposition in one of the Premier League's most exciting teams, Brighton.
The Seagulls suffered defeat in their Sunday game against top-of-the-league Liverpool at Anfield despite Danny Welbeck having given his side an early lead.
Brentford peppered United’s goal with 31 shots at the weekend but Brighton only did one better than the Red Devils. Roberto De Zerbi's team faced 30 Liverpool efforts in their game, although only two were converted into goals with Luis Díaz and Mohamed Salah on the scoresheet.
That stat is more of a reflection of Liverpool's quality than Brighton's dereliction of defensive duty though as the stats back up: the Seagulls have allowed on average 12.3 shots per game, a number that only four teams (Liverpool, Aston Villa, Arsenal and Manchester City) can beat. Brentford meanwhile are at the other end of the scale having conceded 14.7 shots per game on average with five teams having allowed more efforts this campaign.
Going forward Brighton have on average 14.8 shots per game, which puts them fifth of all the Premier League teams this season (Brentford are on 13.1 shots per game).
That stat is particularly impressive given that, much like the Bees, they have had their fair share of injuries to deal with this season – especially when it comes to their creative outlets. Kaoru Mitoma is out for the season while Solly March is still out for an indefinite period.
However, the Brentford defence may well have to face Julio Enciso, who was left out against Liverpool for more rest time, and João Pedro who has been sidelined since early February.
The Brazilian is the main man for the Seagulls this year with 19 goals and two assists from his 32 games in all competitions this season. In fact, eight of those goals had come from his last seven matches before his injury so Brentford will be hoping the 22-year-old is still rusty.
It's been a funny old March for Brentford, which has seen them play some of their best football of the season with only two points to show for it.
And while the Bees did earn points against Chelsea and United while pushing Arsenal to the limit, this is very much the time for the club to return to winning ways and start pushing back up the table.
It won't be easy against Brighton on Wednesday of course, but a repeat of Saturday’s performance will surely produce a better result.
Scout Report
Brighton targeting third straight top-half finish
Whether it was breaking long-held club records or beating teams they had not faced in a generation, each of Brighton’s six seasons in the Premier League before the current campaign was memorable for one reason or another.
This season was about seeing how they would balance their first entry into European competition alongside the FA Cup and Carabao Cup and, again, trying to better themselves in the top flight, as has become the norm.
It is safe to say they have balanced it pretty well. The Seagulls’ Europa League opener at home to AEK Athens ended in a narrow 3-2 defeat, which was followed by a 2-2 draw at Marseille, but those results only helped them ease in as they faced the unknown. They romped their way to the top of Group B after four straight wins, with a clean sheet kept in each.
The first leg of their last-16 tie against Roma, in which they were beaten 4-0, smashed any hopes of further progress, even though they managed to beat the Italian giants on the south coast in the return leg. Despite their exit, Brighton have a taste for this sort of thing now.
The extra competition has come at a cost, though that was anticipated by fans and those connected to the club. Injuries have been rife and, at the end of February, only Newcastle United and Brentford had struggled more with absentees. Top scorer João Pedro has not played since 3 February and his threat has been missed greatly.
However, they have managed to remain competitive in the Premier League, even if they have not managed to string consecutive wins together since September. Inconsistent would probably be the best word to describe their recent results, though, again, that can probably be put down to the added strain on the squad.
Now the league is the sole focus in what remains of the season, where Brighton will focus all of their remaining energy on trying to finish as high as possible.
"I believe in my players and I know we can fight to reach another historical target,” said Roberto De Zerbi after the win over Roma. “We have 10 games left in the league and we will fight to qualify for another European competition."
Including their trip to the Gtech, the Seagulls have eight games left to finish on a high. Collecting 21 more points would see them better their record top-flight points total, and they could even have a say in the title race, with the visits of both Manchester City and Arsenal on the horizon.
Most likely is a third straight top-half finish, which would absolutely be the icing on the cake.
In the Dugout
Roberto De Zerbi
Roberto De Zerbi started out at AC Milan in 1998 and forged a nomadic career as an attacking midfielder in the lower reaches of the Italian football pyramid.
De Zerbi turned out for Foggia, Arezzo and Catania, before two years in Romania with CFR Cluj between 2010 and 2012. He retired in 2013 aged 34 after a short spell back in his homeland with Trento.
Almost immediately, he picked up his first job in management with Darfo Baario, with whom he spent a year before returning to Foggia in 2014. He spent another two years at Stadio Pino Zaccheria, guiding the Rossoneri to the Coppa Italia Legia Pro in 2015/16, his second season in charge.
Shortly after departing in August 2016, he was fast-tracked to Serie A when Palermo came calling. However, that stint will not be remembered fondly by either party, as he lasted just 13 games, only one of which his side were victorious in.
De Zerbi then moved on to Benevento. He was unable to keep the club in the top flight in 2017/18 and it was at Sassuolo that he really settled. He spent just shy of three years in charge of the Watermelon Peel (yes, really!) and oversaw top-eight finishes in the 2019/20 and 2020/21 seasons.
In May 2021, he was announced as the new Shakhtar Donetsk manager but, after 10 months, one Ukrainian Super Cup and 20 wins from his 30 games in charge, he departed as a result of the Russian invasion and, two months after that, was installed as Graham Potter’s successor at Brighton.
The Gameplan
With Brian Owen, sports reporter for The Argus
Brian Owen, sports reporter for The Argus, explains how Roberto De Zerbi is likely to set up his side at Gtech Community Stadium:
“Brighton always used a 4-2-3-1, but he has used more of a back three this season, which was initially because he did not have full-backs, but he has stuck with it, even when full-backs have been coming back, so specialist full-backs like Pervis Estupiñán and Joël Veltman have not been playing as much as you would have thought.
“In terms of the back three or four, it is quite a fine line because, even when he plays a four, one of the full-backs, like Estupinan or Tariq Lamptey, are almost wing-backs anyway.
“The main spine of the team is Lewis Dunk and Jan Paul van Hecke at centre-back and Pascal Gross and Billy Gilmour in midfield. That has been the foundation of the team this season.”
Last time out v Liverpool (4-2-3-1): Verbruggen; Estupiñán, Dunk, van Hecke, Veltman; Baleba, Groß; Adingra, Moder, Lamptey; Welbeck
Read the full interview with Brian Owen
Team News
Frank: Mbeumo is ready to start
Brentford head coach Thomas Frank has confirmed that Bryan Mbeumo is “ready to start” against Brighton.
Having suffered an ankle injury during the reverse fixture in December, the forward has returned to action in recent weeks with substitute appearances against Burnley and Manchester United either side of the March international break.
The Cameroon international was in fine form during the first half of the season and has 10 goal contributions (7G, 3A) in 17 Premier League appearances this term.
“He’s ready to start,” said Frank. “If he starts, let’s see. It depends on what we do.
“We have done everything against Brighton: we have played 4-3-3, 4-4-2, 3-5-2. Ivan [Toney] has done well and [Yoane] Wissa has done well.
“There is no doubt that Bryan has been one of our most important players and one of our most consistent and best players over many years.
“So, I want him in the team as soon as possible. We could maybe have space for all three of them [Mbeumo, Toney and Wissa]; let’s see.”
Brentford have no fresh injury concerns following Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Manchester United and will welcome on-loan defender Sergio Reguilón back from suspension.
Defender Ethan Pinnock (ankle) is progressing well but won’t play against Brighton and “probably also Villa”.
Captain Christian Nørgaard (back) is “a little bit further down the line”, as is full-back Aaron Hickey (hamstring).
Forward Kevin Schade (adductor) is also unavailable for Albion’s visit to Gtech Community Stadium but will play an in-house game at Jersey Road on Tuesday and could feature against Aston Villa on Saturday.
Rico Henry (knee), Josh Dasilva (knee) and Ben Mee (ankle) are sidelined for the remainder of the season.
Match Officials
Madley returns for fourth Brentford assignment this season
Referee: Andrew Madley
Assistants: Nick Hopton and Akil Howson
Fourth official: Christopher Kavanagh
Video assistant referee: Michael Oliver
Additional video assistant referee: Wade Smith
Andrew Madley took charge of a Premier League game for the first time on 31 March 2018: a 2-2 draw between Watford and Bournemouth.
Last season, Madley officiated 34 matches including Brentford’s 2-0 victory over Chelsea in April.
In total, Madley showed 122 yellow cards and one red card last term.
Madley has refereed three Brentford games this season, most recently against Wolves on 16 January, all of which ended in defeat for the Bees.
Last Meeting
Brighton 2 Brentford 1 (Premier League, 6 December 2023)
Brentford were beaten 2-1 by Brighton in another entertaining clash between the two sides at Amex Stadium.
A Bryan Mbeumo penalty put the visitors ahead in the first half, before a Pascal Groß strike from outside the area levelled for the Seagulls soon after.
Full-back Jack Hinshelwood netted the decider seven minutes after the break, as he rose highest inside the penalty area to head home the winner.