Premier League: Gunners Hoping to Avoid a Nasty Bees Sting

Arsenal vs Brentford

Premier League leaders Arsenal are hoping to get back to winning ways when they welcome in-form Brentford to the Emirates Stadium on Saturday.

But they have been stung by the Bees before, and while Thomas Frank’s side beat Southampton last week, the Gunners went down to a shock defeat to struggling Everton.

Arsenal are hot favourites to win this game at odds of 1.36, and Mikel Arteta will be desperate to get his side back to winning ways without delay.

But Brentford, riding high in seventh place, can play without fear. With 33 points already in the bag, relegation is not a consideration while if they can gather momentum, a European adventure is certainly not out of the question.

Without any doubt, the pressure is on Arsenal to win and keep alive their dream of a first Premier League title since 2004.     

Talking Points

No harm done at Goodison Park  

After losing to Everton, the Gunners fans must have expected Manchester City to beat Spurs and climb to within two points of the top, but we all now how that turned out. Harry Kane’s goal cheered up Arteta and his team and the Premier League 2023 betting odds now rate them as clear favourites to win the title at SBOTOP odds of 1.59.

In some ways, the City defeat may be a bigger boost than had they both won because it suggests the much anticipated Sky Blue charge is by no means certain. And off-field problems have plagued the champions this week as the Premier League has charged Manchester City with over a hundred financial and regulatory infractions.

Any worry that Manchester United might creep up on the rails have dissipated somewhat after the Red Devils drew at home to Leeds United on Wednesday night. So Arsenal just need to concentrate on what they are doing, still with just two league defeats all season.

But with an FA Cup loss to City coming just before their visit to Merseyside, another reversal against the Bees would make it three defeats on the run, and the chasing pack will smell blood.

Arsenal’s centre-back pairing of William Saliba and Ben White looked shaky against Everton’s aerial bombardment and they will come up against Ivan Toney, one of the league most prolific strikers.

If they can keep Toney and co. quiet then the Gunners will thrive with the central midfield partnership of Thomas Partey and Granit Xhaka likely to dominate, giving the likes of Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli the room to work their magic.

Saka scored a beauty in Arsenal’s last home game against Manchester United, and he has seven goals and seven assists this season.     

Brentford will never be a one-man team

The Bees’ Premier League 2023 results have been very impressive and they have shown no signs of second season syndrome, currently sitting seventh in the table with a record of eight wins, nine draws, and just four defeats, and now they are at odds of 201.00 to be relegated.

When they arrived in the top-flight last season, the Bees impressed with their vibrant style of play and quick passing and they didn’t have any big name stars until Christian Eriksen arrived midway through the campaign.

This year, striker Ivan Toney has dominated the headlines with his 13 goals but he won’t be a shoo-in for the Bees’ player of the season awards.  

Cameroon striker Bryan Mbeumo, with five goals, has been consistently impressive and he put in a man-of-the-match performance against the Saints, assisting the first goal, scoring the second, and being involved in the build-up for the third.

At 23 years of age, Mbeumo is just going to get better and better and Brentford will need him on their journey. 

At the other end of the pitch, ex-Burnley defender Ben Mee has brought experience and defencive inspiration to the back four, as he’s one of the bravest players in the game and a threat at set-pieces, scoring three goals for the Bees already.  

History

These two London teams met on Brentford’s arrival in the Premier League back in August 2021 when the Bees announced themselves on the elite stage with a 2-0 win. The Gunners have won the other three meetings, though.    

Brentford’s recent form is a little better than their hosts, having won four, drawn one, and lost one of the last six games while Arsenal have won three, drawn one, and lost two.    

But the Gunners have been outstanding at the Emirates this season with eight wins and one draw so far, while the Bees have been steady away from home with just three defeats on the road, two victories, and five draws. 

Betting Tip

The visitors are at 4.36 to draw and 7.52 to win, and I’ve made a case for them to pick something up at the Emirates.

But this really is a must win for the hosts, anything else will cause some serious jitters in North London and Arteta’s players will be in no mood to loosen their grip on the top spot.

 

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