Brentford vs Arsenal: Predicted lineup, injury news, head-to-head, telecast

The Gunners travel to West London after settling for a draw in North London Derby

Manager Thomas Frank's side Brentford are going into the fixture with two back-to-back defeats in the Premier League. Now they have an unbeaten Arsenal side paying a visit for the EFL Cup's Third Round clash at the Gtech Community Stadium. The Bees had progressed from the Second Round after winning in the penalty shootout. They were held at 1-1 by Newport County in normal time. Newport plays in the EFL League Two, the fourth division of the English Football League.

Arsenal are coming on the back of a steamy derby clash against Tottenham. A 2-2 draw was the final result after an epic North London Derby clash at the Emirates Stadium. Mikel Arteta will be looking to rotate his squad given the like of Declan Rice being taken off in the halftime break due to an untimely knock. The Gunners are currently at 5th spot while Brentford sit at 13th place in the PL.

Kick-Off:

Wednesday, 27 September 2023 at 7:45 PM BST

Thursday, 28 September 2023 at 12:15 AM IST

Location: Gtech Community Stadium

Form

Brentford (in all competitions): L-L-D-W-D

Arsenal (in all competitions): D-W-W-W-D

Players to Watch

Bryan Mbeumo (Brentford)

Striker Ivan Toney may be suspended but Brentford have reliable players in the attack line. One such key player is Bryan Mbeumo. The left-footed Cameroon International is seen playing out in the right-wing under Thomas Frank and has played every minute of the 2023-24 Premier League season till now. Mbeumo has prolifically scored 4 goals in those outings.

Eddie Nketiah (Arsenal)

The centre-forward graduated from the Arsenal Football Club Academy and now dons the number 14 jersey for the Gunners. The number was once worn by the legendary French striker Thierry Henry during his days with Arsenal FC. The 24-year-old has featured in every PL game be it from the bench or from the very start. Nketiah has scored only 2 goals and he will be eager to make the most out of the EFL Cup clash where many important players will be rested.

Match Facts

• Arsenal are directly involved in the EFL Cup Third Round due to their second-place PL finish last season while Brentford narrowly edged out Newport County on penalties in the Second Round
• The Bees have just won a game in the last five competitive games while the Gunners are still undefeated from the season start
• Both teams are from the PL. Arsenal sits at 5th while in the 13th place Brentford's side is a point and position above Chelsea

Injury & Team News for Brentford vs Arsenal

The absentees in the Bees dressing room have been growing recently. Coach Thomas Frank will be without Rico Henry, Kevin Schade, Shandon Baptiste, Ben Mee, Mikkel Damsgaard and Josh Dasilva. Schade was injured in the pre-match warm-up routine before the Everton clash in the PL. He reportedly pulled his groin. While Brentford’s longest-serving player Henry had suffered a severe knee injury in the prior clash with Newcastle United.

In the Spurs clash, Declan Rice was taken off in the halftime break. Also, Saka seemingly was limping in the late minutes. Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta would not want his important players in the treatment room for long given they are in the UEFA Champions League and PL title contentions. So a squad without Rice, Saka, Gabriel Martinelli, Thomas Partey and Jurrien Timber is expected to be fielded. Former Brighton winger Leandro Trossard didn't play the Spurs game due to muscle discomfort, so he too will be out of the Third Round clash.

Head to Head

Total Matches – 5

Brentford wins – 1

Arsenal wins – 3

Draws – 1

Predicted Lineup

Brentford predicted lineup (4-3-3):

Strakosha (GK); Roerslev, Zanka, Ajer, Hickey; Onyeka, Janelt, Ghoddos; Lewis-Potter, Mbeumo, Wissa

Arsenal predicted lineup (4-3-3):

Ramsdale (GK); Cedric, Saliba, Kiwior, Tomiyasu; Havertz, Jorginho, Vieira; Nelson, Nketiah, Smith Rowe

Match Prediction for Brentford vs Arsenal

Arsenal are coming on the back of a 2-2 draw in the North London Derby against Spurs. And have many players with minor issues to deal with. Mikel Arteta will be looking to use the EFL Cup to rotate his squad as this competition can not be the top priority. Brentford have probelms of their own. The injury list seems to be piling up and the results aren't good lately. Just a win in five competitive games gives enough reasons for Thomas Frank's side to get knocked out after barely progressing through against fourth-tier side Newport in the Second Round.

Prediction: Brentford 1-2 Arsenal

Telecast

India – Fancode

UK – Sky Sports (But there will be no telecast for this match)

US –  ESPN+

Nigeria – No telecast