Overview
Brentford's chance of winning a Champions League spot at this time is almost only theoretical. Not only must they close the 4-point gap with Bournemouth, who are in sixth place, Keith Andrews' team also needs Aston Villa to finish the season in fifth place and at the same time win the Europa League.
However, the door to European cups is not completely closed for Brentford. They are currently only 2 points behind Brighton - the team holding a Conference League spot - although the gap with Sunderland in 12th place is only 3 points.
Considering the context at the beginning of the season, Brentford has clearly far exceeded expectations. After the departure of Thomas Frank and a series of key players such as Bryan Mbeumo, Yoane Wissa and Christian Norgaard, many predictions suggest that the club will fall into the relegation battle.
However, Keith Andrews has created a big surprise and is considered one of the most impressive coaches in the Premier League this season.
However, Brentford's recent form is showing signs of slowing down. In the last 8 rounds, they have only won 1 match, drawn 5 and lost 2. If they continue to lose this weekend, Brentford will receive their third defeat in the last 4 rounds.
It is noteworthy that in that 8-match streak, Brentford had 4 matches without scoring, but also kept a clean sheet in all 4 of these matches, showing clear irregularities in their playing style.
The home form of the Gtech home team is also not really convincing. Brentford has only won 1 in their last 7 home matches in the Premier League, although they are still unbeaten in the last 4 matches, including a 3-0 victory over West Ham in early May.
In the opposite direction, Crystal Palace has secured relegation. With 44 points, they are 8 points ahead of West Ham - the team in 18th place.
However, Oliver Glasner's team is actually not in good form at the end of the season. Palace has gone through 5 consecutive winless matches in the Premier League, including 3 defeats, most recently the 0-3 defeat to Manchester City in the middle of the week.
More worryingly, Palace has conceded at least 3 goals in 3 of the last 4 rounds and has not scored in 3/5 recent matches. However, Palace still has reason to be confident when they once defeated Brentford 2-0 in the first leg in November 2025 thanks to a goal by Jean-Philippe Mateta and an own goal by Nathan Collins.
Palace's biggest weakness at this time lies in their away form. The London team has lost all three recent away games in the Premier League before traveling to Gtech Stadium this weekend.
Personnel situation
Brentford entered the match with almost full force, thereby giving Keith Andrews more options in attack. The trio Igor Thiago, Kevin Schade and Dango Ouattara are likely to start from the beginning in attack.
In midfield, Mikkel Damsgaard is expected to continue to take on the number 10 role in the context that Fabio Carvalho has not yet been able to return due to injury. The Danish international can play above the midfield pair Yehor Yarmoliuk and Mathias Jensen.
On Crystal Palace's side, although Oliver Glasner is starting to focus on the Conference League final, maintaining the feeling of playing for key players is still an important priority.
That means many key players may continue to start this weekend, including Adam Wharton and Daichi Kamada in midfield, and Maxence Lacroix in defense.
Expected lineup:
Kelleher, Kayode, Van den Berg, Collins, Lewis-Potter, Yarmoliuk, Jensen, Ouattara, Damsgaard, Schade, Thiago.
Crystal Palace: Henderson, Richards, Lacroix, Canvot, Munoz, Wharton, Kamada, Mitchell, Sarr, Mateta, Pino.
The match between Brentford and Crystal Palace takes place at 9:00 PM on May 17 (Vietnam time).
