Brentford vs Arsenal Premier League preview, team news and prediction

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Premier League leaders Arsenal will be looking to break an unusual curse when they travel to the Gtech Community Stadium for Thursday’s London derby against surprise contenders Brentford. While the Gunners are unbeaten in their last 12 midweek Premier League fixtures, they have failed to win—or even score—in any of their past three matches played specifically on a Thursday.

The Gunners go into this match as the clear favourites with bookies William Hill pricing them as the odds-on favourite at 4/6 while the Bees are 19/5 to surprise the leaders and a draw is 14/5.

Arsenal come into this clash buoyed by a comfortable 3-0 victory over Sunderland last weekend, a match notable for the absence of former midfield stalwart Granit Xhaka—though he did share a touching moment with Mikel Arteta on the pitch. Goals from Viktor Gyokeres (twice) and Martin Zubimendi helped Arsenal cruise past their newly-promoted opponents, but their celebrations were dampened when Manchester City staged a remarkable comeback at Anfield.

Despite that, Arteta’s side still enjoy a healthy six-point cushion at the top of the Premier League, and their latest win saw them finish the day nine points clear—something they last achieved during the iconic 2003-04 Invincibles season. The Gunners appear to have put their shaky January behind them, stringing together four consecutive victories in all competitions and rediscovering their defensive solidity with three straight clean sheets against Sunderland, Leeds United, and Chelsea.

Arsenal now have the chance to record four consecutive shutouts for the first time since their 812-minute unbeaten defensive run last November. Since the start of the 2022-23 season, they have avoided defeat in 19 of their last 20 away London derbies—a run that includes a 3-1 win at the Gtech Community Stadium on New Year’s Day 2025 and a 2-0 victory over Keith Andrews’s side in December. Their unbeaten streak against Brentford now stands at eight games.

However, Arsenal will be wary of a Brentford side that has impressed on the road, returning home after two impressive away wins at Aston Villa and Newcastle United. Despite being reduced to 10 men, Andrews’s side managed a 1-0 win at Villa Park, then stunned Newcastle 3-2 in gameweek 25, with Igor Thiago netting his 17th Premier League goal of the season and Dango Ouattara scoring a late winner.

Brentford enter gameweek 26 in seventh place, just five points behind fourth-placed Manchester United (before the Red Devils face West Ham). Yet, they may not relish being back at home, having won five of their last six away games in all competitions but only two of their last five at the Gtech Community Stadium.

Neither Martin Odegaard (unspecified issue) nor Bukayo Saka (hip) featured in Arsenal’s squad for the Sunderland match, and their availability for the London derby remains uncertain. As is often the case, the ever-coy Mikel Arteta may not provide a definitive update on either player ahead of kickoff.

Arsenal will definitely be without Max Dowman (ankle) and Mikel Merino, who recently confirmed his foot surgery with a social media post. Leandro Trossard is also a doubt after picking up a suspected calf injury last weekend. Gabriel Martinelli is expected to step in for Trossard if needed, while Viktor Gyokeres is set to lead the line ahead of Gabriel Jesus, having netted a brace against Sunderland to become the Premier League’s top scorer across all competitions since the turn of the year (six goals).

Brentford manager Keith Andrews also has attacking absences to contend with. Kevin Schade is suspended, serving the second match of his two-game ban following his red card at Aston Villa, while Reiss Nelson is ineligible to face his parent club—though he was unlikely to start regardless. Andrews is expected to stick with the lineup that earned victory at St James’ Park, although Jordan Henderson’s place could be under threat after he was substituted for Yehor Yarmoliuk in the 56th minute.

Star striker Igor Thiago enters the derby in fine form, having scored nine times in his last 10 Premier League home appearances. However, Brentford are still without long-term knee injury absentees Fabio Carvalho, Antoni Milambo, and former Arsenal academy player Josh Dasilva.

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