Kaya Kaynak, Arsenal journalist: Gunners given 'big boost' ahead of Brentford clash | OneFootball

Tifo Football's Kaya Kaynak has discussed a "big boost" that Arsenal have been given ahead of Brentford's visit to Emirates Stadium on Saturday (5.30pm kick-off BST).

The Gunners, who will be seeking their third successive home victory in the Premier League and defeated Real Madrid 3-0 in the UEFA Champions League quarter-final first leg on Tuesday evening, have been buoyed by the return of talisman Bukayo Saka following a lengthy injury lay-off.

Arsenal are second in the Premier League, as they have been since December, going into the final seven Premier League games of the season. What have you made of their 2025 so far?

It has been a bit of a disappointment for Arsenal. They were hoping to win the Premier League this season and then, at the turn of the year, when they beat Brentford, it really felt like they had a chance to, but that was just as Bukayo Saka got injured.

Since then, Gabriel Martinelli has had a period out, Kai Havertz is out for the season, Gabriel Jesus is out for the season, and their attack has really, really struggled.

They have dropped points against teams that, if they had their forward line available, they probably would have beaten, like West Ham, Nottingham Forest, and they have, basically, handed Liverpool the title when it felt like, with Manchester City being so poor this season, quite a winnable one.

So it has been a bit of a frustrating season for Arsenal, but there are still things to play for in the Champions League, so I think most of the focus is turning to that and, with Saka now back, the mood is improving as well.

There is still an 11-point gap to leaders Liverpool, but Nottingham Forest are only five points behind. Is it now just about ensuring they do finish second again?

Pretty much. Everyone, realistically, accepts they are not going to catch Liverpool now. It is more about trying to build momentum for next season, and the Champions League is big.

Second would be good for Arsenal. They will match the record of most second places in a row, which I do not think too many will particularly want, but they will want to avoid finishing below Nottingham Forest and all the other teams around because it gets you into a bit of a scrap for the top four, which I do not think Arsenal want, in terms of the stress of that.

As you mentioned, Bukayo Saka returned to action against Fulham last week, after a lengthy spell out with a hamstring injury. How much of a boost is it to have him back for the run-in?

Massive. He is a fantastic footballer and we saw that when he scored within 10 minutes of coming back.

If it were not for the injury, he was on course for a very impressive amount of goal involvements this season.

He is so key to everything Arsenal do going forward; so much of Arsenal's attack flows down that right-hand side where he plays.

He makes Martin Ødegaard a better player, he makes whoever Arsenal’s centre-forward is a better player.

He is also a big part of the set-pieces as well, which Arsenal have done so well this season - his delivery is top-notch.

He is massive, but it is also what he does off the pitch; the Emirates Stadium was the loudest I have heard it all season when he came back against Fulham and it is a big boost for the fans.

It has lifted the mood around the club massively and there is hope that he can help Arsenal really salvage something from what has been an, ultimately, quite disappointing season.

Which player should Brentford fans be keeping an eye out for on Saturday?

I feel like I have got to go for Saka here, too! I know I have spoken about him, but they did not see him at the Gtech earlier in the season because he was injured, and Arsenal found alternatives back then.

I would also be interested to see how Mikel Merino does against Brentford and quite a physical and aerially impressive back three, because he is playing as more of an old-school no.9 for Arsenal these days, and he is doing quite a good job, so that will be an interesting battle.

What should Brentford expect in terms of shape and style?

It will be just the classic 4-3-3 formation. Arsenal have played it under Mikel Arteta for years now and I do not think they are going to change it.

As I mentioned, Merino makes things a little bit different in the sense that I know I said he is a traditional no.9, but he does drop into spaces and vacates it and creates space for the wingers to run into, which is quite interesting.

And with Saka back, there will be quite a heavy focus on that right-hand side where Arsenal try to attack and again, set-pieces are always a big thing for Arsenal, as we saw at the Gtech last time around.

Arsenal won 3-1 at the Gtech back in January, but what's your score prediction for this one?

Arsenal are not scoring masses of goals at the minute; even with Saka back, they have got a lot of players out still up front, so I will go for a 1-0 win, but I do think Brentford will cause Arsenal problems, as they tend to do quite a lot at the Emirates.