BBC pundit and former Blackburn Rovers striker Chris Sutton believes Brentford could pose some problems for Arsenal when the two teams meet this weekend. However, he still expects the Gunners to edge the Bees and pick up a 2-1 victory.
The two teams will clash in a Premier League encounter at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday, February 11. Mikel Arteta’s side enter the game first in the standings, five points clear of second-placed Manchester City with a game in hand. However, they lost their last match 1-0 away to Everton.
Brentford, meanwhile, are up to seventh in the table with 33 points from 21 matches. Thomas Frank’s side beat bottom-of-the-table Southampton 3-0 at home in their last game.
Sutton expects a close match on Saturday and wrote in his column for the BBC:
“Last week was as poor a performance as I have seen all season from the Gunners, who didn’t really dictate the game or ever look like they were in control.
“They absolutely need to bounce back from that, and I think they will – but it will not be easy, because Brentford are streetwise, well organised and carry a real attacking threat. The Bees will be a handful, but Arsenal will find a way to win.”
The earlier meeting between the two teams at the Brentford Community Stadium notably ended in a 3-0 win for Arsenal back in September. William Saliba, Gabriel Jesus and Fabio Vieira got on the scoresheet on that occasion. It remains the Bees’ only loss at home this season.
Speaking about that result, Sutton said:
“This is a really interesting game because of Arsenal’s last result, their defeat at Everton, and Brentford’s form – they are unbeaten for nine games now.
“The Gunners are the only team who have beaten the Bees on their own patch this season – a really impressive 3-0 win in September which was the first real statement that Mikel Arteta’s side meant business in the title race.
“Arteta could really do with a similar result this time, to get back on track after that Everton defeat before Manchester City visit Emirates Stadium next Wednesday.”
What happened when Arsenal last hosted Brentford at the Emirates?
Arsenal last welcomed Brentford to the Emirates Stadium in the second half of the 2021-22 Premier League season. The fixture came with an edge to it as the Bees had convincingly beaten the Gunners 2-0 on the opening day of the campaign at the Brentford Community Stadium.
This time, however, Mikel Arteta’s men extracted revenge by picking up a 2-1 win. Emile Smith Rowe and Bukayo Saka scored in the second half to put the hosts in control. Christian Norgaard halved the deficit in second-half injury-time, but it was a mere consolation for Brentford.
Another exciting encounter awaits us on Saturday.