Arsenal vs Brentford – Match preview and team news | OneFootball

Arsenal welcome London rivals Brentford to the Emirates Stadium this evening.

Mikel Arteta and his players are in good mood and have one foot in the Champions League semi-finals after stunning Real Madrid 3-0 in North London. With the second leg at the Bernabeu in mind, the Spanish manager is likely to rotate and offer some key players a rest.

Bukayo Saka has just returned from a lengthy injury layoff so his minutes may be monitored. Likewise, Jurrien Timber has dealt with fitness struggles in recent weeks and may be replaced by Ben White this weekend.

Tuesday night’s hero Declan Rice has been passed fit despite being forced off the field with a knock. Riccardo Calafiori is nearing a return from a knee injury, but the weekend’s action comes too soon for the Italian.

There are hopes among the medical staff that Kai Havertz could feature again this season. The initial prognosis on the German’s hamstring injury was season-ending, but he is currently ahead of schedule.

It is consecutive London derbies for Brentford following their 0-0 draw with Chelsea last weekend.

Manager Thomas Frank revealed there was no fresh injury news to report in his pre-match press conference. Aaron Hickey, Igor Thiago and Gustavo Nunes are all progressing in their recoveries with the latter being the closest of the trio. A shoulder injury is expected to prevent Fabio Carvalho from featuring again this season.

Arsenal vs Brentford – Match preview and team news

Form

Arsenal: DWWDW

A virtuoso performance from Declan Rice helped Arsenal demolish reigning European champions Real Madrid in midweek.

Two unstoppable free-kicks from the Englishman and a smart finish from Mikel Merino give the Gunners a three-goal advantage heading into the second leg on Wednesday.

Domestically, their hopes of lifting the Premier League title are diminishing by the week. League leaders Liverpool have an 11-point cushion over the Gunners heading into the closing stages of the season.

Furthermore, Nottingham Forest are only trailing them by five points, so finishing second in the league is far from certain. Arsenal have only lost at home on one occasion this season, against West Ham in February.

Brentford: DLWLD

The Bees slipped into 12th position in the Premier League after dropping points at home to West London neighbours Chelsea on Sunday.

It continued Brentford’s lack of consistency, which has been a perpetual theme throughout the campaign.

Since recording two convincing away victories over West Ham and Leicester, Thomas Frank’s outfit have only triumphed once in their last five outings.

At the start of the season, Brentford made the Gtech Community Stadium a fortress. However, the once rigid walls have since come crumbling down. They haven’t won at home in all competitions since the 7th of December, some nine matches ago.

Last Meeting: Brentford 1-3 Arsenal, Premier League, 1st January 2025

The Gunners began the calendar year in style with a clinical victory away to Thomas Frank’s Brentford.

However, it was the hosts that started the brighter of the two sides and struck first in West London. Mikkel Damsgaard intercepted Martin Odegaard’s pass before sparking a counter-attack. The Dane fed Bryan Mbeumo, who teased Riccardo Calafiori and cunningly disguised an effort goalward.

Former Brentford goalkeeper David Raya was anticipating the shot to curl to his right, but instead, the attempt rolled past him on the opposite side.

Arsenal were struggling to deal with the opposition’s directness and almost conceded a second. Raya clumsily spilt Keane Lewis-Potter’s unassuming shot but managed to save himself from embarrassment by clawing the ball away from danger on the goal-line.

On the half-hour mark, Gabriel Jesus was on hand to draw the Gunners level against the run of play. Thomas Partey’s rasping drive from range was parried away by Mark Flekken but only into the path of the Brazilian, who stooped low to head in the rebound.

The visitors completed the turnaround five minutes after the restart courtesy of a scrappy goal from Mikel Merino. Flekken attempted to punch the ball clear from a corner but the goalkeeper didn’t achieve the required connection. A goalmouth scramble ensued and Merino lashed in.

Three minutes later, the deficit had been doubled by Gabriel Martinelli. Ethan Nwaneri’s deft delivery bounced to the forward, who took a touch before accurately volleying past the motionless Flekken.

Predicted Lineups

Arsenal: Raya: White, Saliba, Kiwior, Tierney: Jorginho, Partey, Odegaard; Nwaneri, Trossard, Sterling.

Brentford: Flekken; Ajer, Collins, Van den Berg, Lewis-Potter; Norgaard, Janelt; Mbeumo, Damsgaard, Schade, Wissa.

Who is the referee?

Simon Hooper will be the match official. Adrian Holmes and Simon Long will assist him while Will Finnie will be the fourth official.  James Bell is the VAR and Nick Greenhalgh will be his assistant.

What TV channel is Arsenal vs Brentford on?

Arsenal vs Brentford will be available to watch on Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Go UK and NOW UK.

What time is kick-off?

Kick-off at the Emirates Stadium will be at 17:30 BST on Saturday 12th April 2025.

Arsenal vs Brentford Match Odds

Arsenal: 13/20

Draw: 3/1

Brentford: 4/1

Read – Eight talking points ahead of the Premier League weekend

See more – 5️⃣ spicy fixtures you must watch this weekend 🌶

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