Brentford get their 2023/24 Premier League campaign underway on Sunday.
The Bees’ 3-1 win at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in May – inspired by Bryan Mbeumo’s man-of-the-match performance - was their first victory over Spurs since 1948.
Thomas Frank’s side have had no shortage of tough tests this summer, with three games against Premier League opposition during a two-week tour of the USA preceding a visit from Ligue 1 side Lille last weekend.
Tottenham’s trip to TW8 will be broadcast live in the UK on Sky Sports Premier League (2pm kick-off).
Pre-match analysis
Stephen Gillett, Playmaker Stats: Maddison the one to watch ahead of Kane's potential exit
After a summer of transfer talk fuelled by Bayern Munich's pursuit of Harry Kane, Tottenham's all-time record goalscorer may be inching towards the exit ahead of Brentford's Premier League opener against Spurs this Sunday.
With Kane's future up in the air, this preview opts to ignore the most prolific English forward of recent times and focuses instead on the nation's most productive midfielder: James Maddison.
Signed from Leicester for £40 million in June, Maddison will inject undoubted guile and creativity into Tottenham's ranks this season and, taken as a whole, his stats over five seasons with the Foxes were pretty staggering.
Dating back to his first season in the Premier League in 2018/19, Maddison (43 goals and 31 assists) has been involved in more top-flight goals than any other English midfielder - only Man City's Kevin de Bruyne (43G, 58A) and Man Utd's Bruno Fernandes (44G, 33A) clocking up more goal participations from midfield.
They are certainly impressive numbers, but perhaps Brentford fans don't need reminding about Maddison's quality given his performances against the Bees in the past.
Now 26, Maddison has played against Brentford on eight occasions to date - and, more often than not, he has come out on top.
Then in the Championship, Brentford overcame a Norwich side featuring the midfielder back in December 2017 but, since then, Maddison has gone unbeaten against the Bees in seven subsequent contests (five won, two drawn), scoring four goals and supplying three assists.
The England international - who featured in the Three Lions' Euro 2024 qualifier wins against Malta and Ukraine earlier this year - has seemingly gone from strength to strength during his time in the Premier League and, despite relegation with the Foxes last term, his stats from last season underline the hefty threat he will again pose Brentford this Sunday.
In addition to 10 goals and nine assists last term, Maddison featured in the division's top 10 for key passes made (69) and no player scored more goals (3) from outside the box.
Maddison’s threat from remote positions is well known, and his stats attest to his prowess from long range.
The Opposition
Spurs seek stability under Postecoglou
Tottenham will be chasing some much-needed stability this season after a rollercoaster campaign last time out.
Antonio Conte started the campaign in charge and things were, for the most part, going well under the Italian until the World Cup break in mid-November. Spurs were fourth in the Premier League and had topped their Champions League group. The momentum from the prior campaign seemed to have been carried over.
But that was not the case after Christmas, with their form severely lacking consistency. They lost three and drew one of their first seven league games back and were left without Conte on the touchline at the start of February after he returned to his native Italy for surgery to remove his gallbladder.
Conte returned shortly afterwards but was soon forced to rest further after admitting he underestimated the required recovery time. His trusted assistant Cristian Stellini took charge in the interim and soon found himself in the hotseat on a full-time basis following an extraordinary rant from Conte following a 3-3 draw against Southampton.
“We are 11 players that go into the pitch,” he said. “I see selfish players. I see players that don’t want to help each other and don’t put their heart in.”
On 26 March, Conte’s 16-month tenure in north London came to an end by mutual consent. Stellini took over as acting head coach until the end of the season, but lasted only four games, the last of which was a 6-1 defeat at Newcastle.
Ryan Mason subsequently saw out the season but could not lift Tottenham higher than eighth. It was their lowest finishing position in 14 years and meant they failed to qualify for Europe for the first time since 2010. The 32-year-old was, at one point this summer, even reported as a candidate to take the job on a permanent basis, but chair Daniel Levy instead opted to pursue Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou.
The Australian was appointed on a four-year deal in June and, in his first interview, his words promised plenty. “My main thoughts will be on the responsibility I bear and the excitement I have within me that I can fulfil those dreams and aspirations of every Tottenham supporter,” he said.
The fact his side scored 10 goals across their last two pre-season games gives a glimpse into the style said fans can expect to see.
In the Dugout
Ange Postecoglou
Ange Postecoglou started out in management in his native Australia with South Melbourne, where he had spent his entire playing career.
After two years as assistant, he was handed the head coach role in 1996 and spent another four successful years at the club, before leaving to work with Australia under-17s and U20s national teams for the next seven years.
Having failed to guide the U20s to the 2007 World Cup in Canada, he left the national set-up to coach Greek outfit Panachaiki and later Whittlesea Zebras.
In 2009, he took over at Brisbane Roar and won the A-League Championship in 2010/11 and 2011/12, before moving onto Melbourne Victory, where he was unable to produce a similar level of success.
Postecogolou’s tenure at AAMI Park concluded prematurely, however, he was appointed head coach of the senior Australia men’s team in October 2013. He oversaw an encouraging group-stage campaign at the 2014 World Cup and won the Asian Cup the following year.
The Socceroos later qualified for the 2018 World Cup, but he resigned shortly afterwards to join Yokohama F Marinos of the J-League, where he would go onto guide the club to its first title in 15 years in 2019.
The 57-year-old arrived in north London this summer after two incredible years at Celtic. He won an unbelievable 83 of his 113 games in charge in Glasgow, on the way to two Scottish Premiership titles, one Scottish Cup and two Scottish League Cups.
The Gameplan
With Rob Guest, Tottenham Hotspur reporter for football.london
In Hot off the Press, football.london’s Rob Guest explains how Tottenham are likely to set up under new boss Ange Postecoglou.
“It will be a 4-3-3, which is a change from Conte’s 3-4-3 formation.
“In terms of the team, it will likely be Vicario in goal, Emerson Royal at right-back, Cristian Romero and maybe Ben Davies in central defence and Destiny Udogie at left-back.
“In midfield, I imagine it will be Bissouma, Maddison and one of Pape Matar Sarr or Giovani Lo Celso, with Kane - providing he is still at the club - Dejan Kulusevski and Son either side of him.”
Team News
Mbeumo and Henry set for starts
Bryan Mbeumo will be in the starting XI for Brentford’s opening game of the Premier League season against Tottenham Hotspur.
The forward, who was responsible for 17 goal contributions last term, was withdrawn with a dead leg during the first half of the Bees’ final pre-season game against Lille. But speaking during his pre-match press conference, head coach Thomas Frank confirmed that the Cameroon international is fit and available for selection.
Christian Norgaard is in contention for Sunday’s game against Spurs, while Frank Onyeka – another enforced withdrawal last weekend – will be assessed ahead of the fixture.
Rico Henry and Josh Dasilva are both fit, with Frank confirming that the former will start at Gtech Community Stadium on the opening day.
Match Officials
Jones handed opening-day assignment
Referee: Robert Jones
Assistants: Ian Hussin and Wade Smith
Fourth official: Jarred Gillett
VAR: Tony Harrington
Robert Jones joined the Select Group 2 in 2017 before progressing to Select Group 1 ahead of the 2020/21 season.
The Merseyside official’s first Championship assignment was Brentford’s trip to Barnsley in April 2017.
Jones refereed 31 games last season – 27 of which in the Premier League – including the Bees’ 5-2 victory over Leeds United in September.
Last Meeting
Tottenham Hotspur 1 Brentford 3 (Premier League, 20 May 2023)
Bryan Mbuemo inspired a superb second-half comeback as Brentford kept their European hopes alive with a 3-1 victory at Tottenham Hotspur.
The Cameroon international clinically finished twice and put the other on a plate for Yoane Wissa as Thomas Frank’s Bees scored three without reply after the break.
Those goals cancelled out Harry Kane’s early strike for Spurs and moved Brentford to within a point of their hosts with one game left to play.