Arsenal vs Brentford

Emirates Stadium forms the backdrop for a lopsided Premier League clash between title-chasing Arsenal and underachieving Brentford.

Arsenal claimed a 6-0 statement win at rock-bottom Sheffield United last time out, becoming the first side in Premier League history to win three consecutive away league games by a 5+ goal margin. The Gunners’ outstanding start to 2024 has seen them win all seven top-flight games at the beginning of a new calendar year for the first time in the club’s history en route to closing the gap on table-topping Liverpool to only two points. Back to the Emirates, where they’ve won their last three league matches by a combined score of 12-2, Mikel Arteta’s men will be looking to extend their four-game unbeaten run against Brentford in the Premier League (W3, D1) and strengthen their pursuit of a first league title since 2004.

As for Brentford, manager Thomas Frank cut a frustrated character after last weekend’s 2-2 draw against Chelsea stretched his side’s winless league streak to four games (D1, L3). Only six points clear of the bottom three at the start of this round, the Bees take a short trip to North London as pre-match underdogs, largely thanks to their underwhelming away record this season (W3, D1, L9). Taking the lead would not necessarily do the trick for Brentford, considering they’ve dropped a league-high 28 points from winning positions this season. But it would probably be a step in the right direction as they bid to post their first away win against Arsenal since 1938 (D4, L4 since). But defeats in three of their four league matches on the road in 2024 (W1) spell trouble for Brentford, especially as two of them came against fellow London rivals.