10 August 2021, 14:59 | 28 August 2021, 15:29
The Premier League season opener, Brentford F.C. vs. Arsenal F.C. kicks off at 20:00 (GMT+1) this Friday, August 13 at the Brentford Community Stadium, London.
Preview Brentford Premier League, Aug 13, 2021
Preview After a seventy-four-year absence, hosts, Brentford return to the Premier League to take the center-stage in the first London derby of the season against City rivals, Arsenal. The Bees picked up 3rd place at the end of the EFL Championship last season and re-introduced themselves to top-flight football after securing promotion via play-offs. The objective would be to play another season of Premier League football come May 22, 2022, when the season comes to its conclusion. In preparation for the task ahead, Brentford made several acquisitions in the transfer market, forking out €15.7M for center-back Kristoffer Ajer from Celtic. In addition, central-midfielder Frank Onyeka was acquired from FC Midtjylland for €10M. After the 2-0 victory over Swansea in the final of the Championship play-offs, Brentford defeated AFC Wimbledon by a lone goal before picking up a 2-0 win over Boreham Wood F.C. in another pre-season club-friendly. They defeated Watford, 3-1 before pulling off a 2-2 draw against Manchester United. However, they picked up a defeat against West Ham, 1-0 before completing their impressive pre-season outing with a 2-1 win over Spanish side, Valencia. Man-on-a-mission, Ivan Toney has aspirations of lifting the Premier League trophy at the end of this season with the newly-promoted side. Winning the league is the success we want, he said in an exclusive interview with Sky Sports. The 25-year-old bagged an impressive haul of 31 goals for the Bees in the Championship last season. He will certainly be in contention for a starting spot on Friday alongside Bryan Mbeumo when coach, Thomas Frank lines up his preferred 3—5—2 formation.
Preview Arsenal Premier League, Aug 13, 2021
Preview Arsenal returns behind a 1-0 pre-season club-friendly defeat to Tottenham Hotspur. An unimpressive outing saw the Gunners finish in 8th place and miss out on continental football at the end of last season. This season, Mikel Arteta would be aiming for a top-six finish. However, the injuries are already stacking up ahead of the season-opener against Brentford. Thomas Partey picked up an injury and limped off in the pre-season club-friendly defeat to the Blues. In an official confirmation, the club estimates a recovery time of three weeks for the Ghanaian. Surprise absentee against Spurs, Rob Holding wasn’t fit enough to take part in that pre-season fixture while Eddie Nketiah faces a one-month spell on the sidelines after picking up an ankle injury. The club acquired the services of center-back, Ben White for €58.5M alongside Lokonga and Nuno Tavares for €17.5M and €8M respectively. Matteo Guendouzi departed for a season-long loan to Olympique Marseille while James Maddison and Tammy Abraham remain possibilities for the Gunners. Mikel Arteta will be aiming for nothing less than three points on Friday. A 4—2—3—1 formation led by captain, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is expected.