Starting the Premier League season with another London derby, Brentford will host local rivals Crystal Palace at the Gtech Community Stadium on Sunday afternoon. Thomas Frank’s team managed to avoid relegation last season, while the Eagles finished strongly but now face the challenge of adapting without one of their key attacking players.
Brentford is set for their fourth consecutive Premier League season, having established themselves as a stable mid-table team in their early years, though they needed a significant effort to stay up last season. Struggling with Ivan Toney’s betting ban and injuries to other key attackers, Brentford ended the last season in 16th place, narrowly missing out on 40 points but remaining a safe distance from the relegation zone, with a 13-point gap to 18th-placed Luton Town.
Despite a challenging season, Brentford secured their Premier League status for the 2024-25 season with three wins from their last six games, though speculation about Thomas Frank’s future continued throughout the summer. Frank was linked with Manchester United and Chelsea but remained with Brentford.
Pre-Season and Future Plans
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The pre-season saw mixed results for Brentford, who won two of six friendlies, drew three, and lost one to Estrela da Amadora. Notable results included a 1-1 draw with Benfica and a 2-1 victory over Wolfsburg XI. Now turning their focus to the new season, Brentford is preparing for their third London derby in four opening weekends. Palace finished the 2023-24 season strongly, earning 19 points from their last 21 available, including impressive wins such as 5-0 against Aston Villa, 4-0 against Manchester United, and 1-0 against Liverpool, thanks to standout performances from Eberechi Eze, Jean-Philippe Mateta, and Michael Olise.
However, Palace lost Olise to Bayern Munich in a £50m transfer but kept Eze and Mateta. Glasner’s side went unbeaten in five pre-season matches, extending their unbeaten run, which now stands at 12 games. Their 3-1 victory over Brentford in December ended the streak of draws between the two teams, who had previously shared the points in all five of their Premier League encounters.
Team News
Previously anticipated to be the focal point of a £100m transfer battle between Arsenal and Chelsea, Brentford’s star player Ivan Toney remains at the Gtech Community Stadium. He is poised to lead the attack in the absence of new signing Igor Thiago, who suffered a serious knee injury during pre-season.
Despite Toney’s recent lack of form, Jean-Philippe Mateta has been in exceptional form, scoring 13 goals since Oliver Glasner’s appointment in late February—more than any other Premier League player. The 27-year-old Mateta returns to Selhurst Park after a successful summer, including scoring five goals and winning an Olympic silver medal with France.
Brentford’s possible starting lineup: Flekken; Roerslev, Collins, Pinnock, Ajer; Norgaard, Janelt, Jensen; Mbeumo, Toney, Wissa
Crystal Palace possible starting lineup: Henderson; Guehi, Richards, Andersen; Munoz, Wharton, Doucoure, Mitchell; Kamada, Eze; Mateta
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