Arsenal return to Premier League action on Saturday after a stunning 3-0 victory against Real Madrid in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League quarter-final clash.
The Gunners hammered the visitors courtesy of a sublime free-kick brace from Declan Rice. They have a healthy cushion ahead of the second leg at the Santiago Bernabéu next week.
They will resume their league duties with Brentford waiting to face them at the N5. Mikel Arteta’s men are sitting at the second spot in the PL table, 11 points adrift of leaders Liverpool. They were unable to get the better of a resilient Everton side in their last game, and it ended in a 1-1 draw.
Arsenal awaits 🔜 pic.twitter.com/3shtYVyJfY
— Brentford FC (@BrentfordFC) April 9, 2025
Although their chances of landing a domestic title look slim, they can try to come as close as possible. Meanwhile, the Bees played out a goalless draw against Chelsea in the West London derby at the Gtech Community Stadium last week.
They have managed just one victory in their past five games, and their chances of landing a European spot are fading away slowly. Thomas Frank’s side are lying in 12th place in the PL and will be aiming to finish 4-5 positions higher in order to secure their seat in the UEFA Conference League.
HEAD-TO-HEAD:
Arsenal have a near unbeatable record at home this season, as they have won their last ten games and lost just once in 15 league games. They have scored 30 goals in as many games and conceded just 12.
However, the Bees have won just five of their past 15 away games. Arteta’s team grabbed a comfortable 3-1 victory in the previous encounter between the two sides at the Gtech Community Stadium.
Gabriel Jesus, Mikel Merino and Gabriel Martinelli were all on the scoresheet. Also, their last encounter at the N5 in March 2024 saw the Gooners collect all three points with a 3-1 victory.
The English giants have emerged victorious in five of their last six games against the Bees. The records are likely to favour them once again.
TEAM NEWS:
The home side will be without Kai Havertz, Gabriel Magalhaes, Takehiro Tomiyasu, Riccardo Calafiori and Gabriel Jesus due to injuries.
We expect them to test their squad depth and rest some of their key players, such as Rice, Bukayo Saka and Martin Ødegaard, ahead of the UCL clash against Los Blancos next week.
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This team ❤️ pic.twitter.com/IaiZgwRkt2
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) April 9, 2025
Meanwhile, Brentford aren’t facing an injury crisis as the majority of their players are fit. Fabio Carvalho and Igor Thiago are the only players deemed unfit for their next match.
Arsenal’s predicted starting XI: David Raya, Ben White, William Saliba, Jakub Kiwior, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Martin Ødegaard, Jorginho, Leandro Trossard, Ethan Nwaneri, Mikel Merino, Raheem Sterling
Brentford’s predicted starting XI: Mark Flakken, Kristoffer Ajer, Nathan Collins, Sepp Van den Berg, Keane Lewis-Potter, Christian Norgaard, Yehor Yermolyuk, Bryan Mbeumo, Mikel Damsgaard, Kevin Schade, Yoane Wissa
OUR PREDICTION:
We expect Arsenal to make some changes in their starting XI ahead of their season-defining clash against the La Liga giants Madrid. Using their reserve players could be a risk due to their lack of fluency in open play.
Brentford are known to exploit their opponent’s weaknesses and particularly those who are poor in transition. We believe that they will score at least one goal at the Emirates Stadium. However, the Gooners are riding high on confidence, and that could give them the edge in this encounter.
Our final scoreline: Arsenal 2-1 Brentford
