Premier League: Can the Bees Give Sleepy Arsenal a Sting?

Brentford vs Arsenal

The Premier League is back folks and we have a cracker of a London derby to kick off the new season when Brentford host Arsenal in the Friday night curtain-raiser.

Thomas Frank’s Brentford have wowed the Championship over the past couple of seasons with a swashbuckling attack spearheading a generally well-drilled team.

They will know, having watched a procession of teams which dominated in the second tier make a swift return, that they are up against it. But they start level with the rest and have a great chance to get off the mark when they welcome the Gunners.

Brentford vs Arsenal would look, on the face of it, to be a regulation away win. But the opening games often throw up some surprise results and Mikel Arteta’s team have endured a wretched pre-season.

After finishing eighth last term and failing to qualify for Europe for the first time in a quarter of a century, the pressure is on Arsenal to achieve this season and this will be a serious test of their credentials.

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Premier League

Talking Points

Is Toney fit for Brentford?

Brentford’s star striker was born in 1996, the very same year Arsenal last missed out on European qualification and Ivan Toney will dearly love to test himself in the Premier League.

He scored 33 goals for the Bees last season, playing more minutes (3,851) than any of his teammates, so his absence from the Bees’ recent 2-1 win over La Liga side Valencia is a worry for Brentford fans.

Strong in the air, Toney would give the Gunners’ centre-backs plenty to think about so his inclusion is vital to their chances, and Frank says he is hopeful his main man will be fit to play some part.

The Bees are at 2.00 to go down here at SBOTOP which is a 50-50 chance and their fans will happily take that in their first season back in England’s top-flight for 75 years.

They beat Swansea in the Championship Play-off final 2-0 thanks to an early penalty converted by Toney and a second goal from Emiliano Marcondes, and Thomas Frank’s side have had some impressive results in their pre-season warm-up games – drawing 2-2 with Manchester United as well as beating Valencia.

Frank is a progressive coach who favours wing-backs, playing a back three in their warm-ups, so they could go like-for-like with the Gunners in this league opener.

Arsenal need to shake off a poor pre-season

Arsenal are seventh ranked at odds of 46.00 to lift the title and that does not make good reading for their fans.

A seventh-placed finish would be an upgrade on last season and it would likely bring Europa League football to the Emirates, but that isn’t enough for Gunners supporters who even found reason to complain during the Arsene Wenger years of a guaranteed top four place.

They are fifth ranked at a 13.00 shot to win the FA Cup. But unless they start to challenge seriously at the top end of the table, their fans will continue to vent their frustration and, with stadiums due to be full again this season, that is the last thing Arteta wants.

The Gunners have failed to win any of their four pre-season games, losing to London rivals Chelsea and Tottenham, as well as Scottish outfit Hibernian, while drawing with Scottish Premier League champions Glasgow Rangers.

Can Arsenal start their Premier League campaign with a victory against Brentford? — Arsenal’s Thomas Partey receives medical attention during their preseason friendly match against Chelsea

And they already have some injury worries, with midfield general Thomas Partey picking up a knock against Chelsea while centre-back Gabriel is yet to recover fully from a knee problem.

That means there will almost certainly be a start for £50-M signing Ben White, and he would line up alongside Arsenal’s excellent wing-back Kieran Tierney.

The Scot is such a key player for the Gunners and his top class positional play, along with excellent delivery, takes the pressure off young England star Bukayo Saka while providing service for Piere Emerick-Aubamayang and Alexandre Lacazette.

They did win their last two games of the 2020/21 season, beating Brighton 2-0 and Crystal Palace 3-1, and the Gunners have the players to continue that run. But can they lift themselves quickly enough to face an opponent which will need no motivation?

History

There isn’t a lot to see in the head-to-head Brentford vs Arsenal results, with only one meeting to work with in a 3-1 win for the Gunners in the Carabao Cup back in 2018.

But recent and medium history for these two clubs strike a stark contrast.

Arsenal are Premier League ever presents and, while Watford and Norwich City have tasted Premier League football very recently with both bouncing back at the first attempt, the Bees are new to this game and haven’t been in the top-flight of English football since 1947.

Betting Tip

	Brentford vs Arsenal	Total Goals 2-3 @ 1.96
	August 14, 3:00 (GMT+8)

The pre-match Brentford vs Arsenal betting odds back an away win with the Bees at 4.27 to stun the Gunners, while Arsenal is at 1.84 and the draw at 3.11.

It promises to be a tight game and for a scoreline 1-1 is at 5.99, while 1-2 is at 6.76. I can see either of those outcomes on Friday and so I am backing 2-3 goals.