Brentford vs Crystal Palace

Brentford and Crystal Palace are set to trade tackles in an all-London clash at the Gtech Community Stadium to kick things off in the new Premier League season.

Brentford finished a handsome 13 points clear of the drop zone last term, but a 16th-place finish failed to meet the club’s expectations, leading to speculation over Thomas Frank’s potential summer exit. However, the long-serving manager will be in the dugout when the Bees embark on their fourth consecutive Premier League campaign this weekend. Marquee summer signing Igor Thiago is unavailable due to a long-term injury, leaving the Brentford faithful wondering whether the London team could post their first-ever Premier League win against Crystal Palace (D1, L5). That’s the most top-flight games they’ve played against specific opposition without winning, alongside Newcastle United. A paltry return of only one win across their final four league matches of last season (D1, L2) can only add to Brentford’s skepticism ahead of this clash.

In stark contrast to Brentford’s gloomy omens, visiting Crystal Palace head into proceedings in high spirits after racking up six wins in their final eight league outings last term (D1). Oliver Glasner’s ambition to orchestrate a European push following a respectable 10th-place finish in 2023/24 took a hit earlier in the summer as headline performer Michael Olise left London to join Bayern Munich. Olise’s departure could deepen Crystal Palace’s scoring woes that saw them tally a league-third-low 20 goals on their Premier League travels last season. Moreover, the Eagles only registered three away wins against bottom-half teams in 2023/24 (D4, L3), curtailing the visitors’ hopes of winning successive league H2Hs for the first time since 1957.