Brentford hosts Arsenal in round 1 of the English Premier League. The match will be played on Friday, August 13th at Brentford Community Stadium (London)
Brentford, which played in the 2020/21 season in the Championship, made their way to the Premier League through the playoffs. In the semifinals, the Bees defeated Bournemouth (0-1 and 3-1) and then beat Swansea (2-0) in the decisive match. Thanks to this, Brentford got into the elite of English football for the first time in 74 years. Before starting in the Premier League, Brentford set about strengthening the regular squad. In the summer, goalkeeper Luke Daniels, defender Henrik Dalsgaard and midfielder Emiliano Marcondes left the club as free agents. Instead, the Bees bought Celtic defender Kristoffer Ajer, Midtjylland midfielder Frank Onyeka, Chelsea U-18 halfback Myles Peart-Harris, and Lorient winger Yoane Wissa. Before the start of the season, the Bees played six friendly matches (four wins, one draw, and one defeat). Brentford defeated Wimbledon (1-0), Boreham Wood (2-0), Watford (3-1), and Valencia (2-1), tied against Man United (2-2), and did not cope with West Ham (0-1).
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Arsenal was weak in the 2020/21 season. The Gunners finished only 8th in the Premier League and were eliminated by Villarreal in the UEL semifinals. This led to the fact that Londoners will miss the European Cup season for the first time in 26 years. In the summer, the club made some new expensive transfers. The squad was replenished by defenders Ben White and Nuno Tavares and midfielder Albert Sambi Lokonga. At the same time, Arsenal retained almost all of the key players. Only defender David Luiz left the camp of Londoners, while defender William Saliba and midfielder Matteo Gendouzi went on loan to Marseille for a year. Arsenal's preseason training consisted of six matches. Arteta's players beat only Millwall (4-1) and Watford (4-1), tying against Glasgow Rangers (2-2) and losing to Hibernian (1-2), Chelsea (1-2), and Tottenham (0-1).
Brentford will try to offer battle to their more eminent opponents in the home game. There are prerequisites for this. The hosts retained most of the leaders, including the Championship's top scorer Ivan Toney (33 + 10 in 48 games), and received an additional boost. The Bees were the top scoring team in the division last season (1.7 goals per game) and are unlikely to be changing their playing style. Judging by the preseason matches, Arsenal players are experiencing problems in defense, and the Bees can take advantage of this. On the other hand, the Gunners also have to score. The purchase of Ajer will strengthen Brentford's rears, but for now, the lack of coordination in that line could play into the hands of Arsenal’s stars.
Prediction for the match: Both teams to score — yes
