Overview
Arsenal are clearly the strongest team in the Premier League this season. The victory over Bayern Munich in midweek was the most convincing proof of their ambition to become the number one team in Europe.
However, the draw at Chelsea last weekend showed that the "Gunners" will not be able to easily impose a game or win every match. Although still a leading candidate for the Premier League title, Arsenal will certainly have to make every effort and fight until the final rounds if they want to make that ambition a reality.
A draw against Chelsea is still an acceptable result as The Blues have clearly improved significantly this season. However, Arsenal's lead when Moises Caicedo received a red card was still surprising, and even more surprising when they could not dominate the game despite playing with one more player for nearly an hour.
In fact, Caicedo's red card accidentally reduced the drama of the confrontation between two teams with well-organized tactical systems. Experts will be very curious to see how Mikel Arteta adjusted his tactics in the second half if Arsenal do not have a military advantage.
Of course, it is also necessary to mention the absence of Arsenal's main central defender duo William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes. This is only the second Premier League game since the start of the 2022-23 season where the two have not played together.
This makes Arsenal feel more motivated to prove it, and certainly no club wants to be their opponent. This time, Brentford will be the team facing that challenge and The Bees are not underrated after a series of 4 wins in the last 6 matches.
Brentford was one of the interesting surprises of the season, and Keith Andrews is certainly emerging as a strong candidate for the coach of the season title.
The former Republic of Ireland international has only been appointed as the club's free-kick coach in 2024. Brentford deserved to be praised for giving him the opportunity to lead the first team just a year later. Keith Andrews will succeed Thomas Frank - who is currently leading Tottenham Hotspur, the team that is two places below Brentford before this match.
Brentford not only lost Frank but also parted ways with Bryan Mbeumo (Manchester United), Yoane Wissa (New Newcastle), Christian Norgaard (Arsenal) and goalkeeper Mark Flekken (Bayer Leverkusen). Therefore, many people predicted that they would have to fight for relegation. However, in his first season in charge, Andrews brought the team closer to the top half of the rankings.
Igor Thiago is certainly one of the most important factors that helped Brentford flourish beyond expectations. The team has scored 21 goals in the Premier League this season - only behind Manchester City (27), Arsenal (25) and Chelsea (24). And Thiago alone has contributed to 11 goals.
Head-to-head record
Arsenal were held to a 1-1 draw by Brentford in their last meeting at the Emirates Stadium in April, when Yoane Wissa scored the equalizer after Thomas Partey scored in the second half. Notably, Brentford still left North London with 1 point despite only having 2 shots throughout the match.
Since the defeat to Brentford on the opening day of the 2021-2022 Premier League, Arsenal have now been unbeaten in their last seven meetings with The Bees.
Brentford have also failed to win in their last seven away games against Arsenal in all competitions, since a 2-0 win in the First Division in April 1938.
Score prediction: Arsenal 3-2 Brentford
The match between Arsenal and Brentford takes place at 2:30 am on December 4 (Vietnam time).
