England Premier League
Saturday 19th February 2022
Kick off at 3pm GMT
Venue: Emirates Stadium
Match Preview:
There are not many observers of the beautiful game that will go against Arsenal this weekend as they take on Brentford at home. While the Gunners have had their problems this season they have only lost twice at home from 11 games played and have evidently made improvements in this campaign compared to the last couple of seasons. But can Arsenal break through and make their statement that they are good enough to play Champions League football next season?
Arsenal come into this weekend in sixth place and are 4 points from their objective but we should remember that they have 3 games in hand over 4th and 5th place. Recent form has been good with 10 points won from their past 15 but there have been some reminders of ‘Arsenal past’ lately. The cup exits in January were poor especially the defeat to Nottingham Forest, and Burnley came to the Emirates and earned a 0-0 result- two huge points dropped for the Gunners on that occasion.
However the new brand of Arsenal has shown its quality this season and a fighting spirit that witnessed them beat the in form Wolves 1-0 away from home and having to play with 10 men for the final third of that game. It was a huge win for the club and keeps them in the mix to finish 4th. Currently the bookmakers who have been quiet predicting anything positive for the Gunners in recent years have Mikel Arteta’s side down as the favourites to finish 4th.
Brentford had an encouraging first 3 months of the season but one has to wonder if that momentum has faded now? The Bees have won just one game this year and have earned just 1 point from their last 15. The media are talking about the threat of relegation though the club are 7 points to the good of being lurched into the bottom three and currently that shouldn’t be a worry, but things can turn quickly in football.
Thomas Frank’s side have lost 50% of their games away from home and recent away form does not bode well for this fixture where they have lost their last 4. We would have to go back to the beginning of December for the last time Frank’s side won a point on the road when they drew 2-2 with Leeds. The club have won just 2 games away from home from 12 games played.
Team News:
Arsenal: Gabriel Martinelli is suspended after his red card in the clubs last game. Bernd Leno will be assessed after illness, Takehiro Tomiyasu is only 50/50 to return from a calf injury.
Brentford: Christian Eriksen has a lack of match fitness as does Tariqe Fosu-Henry both could be assessed. Ivan Toney is only 50/50 to return after his calf injury, Zanka is a major doubt with fitness issues.
Arsenal vs Brentford Head to Head:
The teams have only played each other 14 times in their history and Brentford have won the majority of the results with 6 games so far.
Earlier in the season in the reverse fixture Brentford stunned the Gunners with a 2-0 win.
Other than this season the most recent game took place in 2018 with Arsenal at home in the EFL Cup and the Gunners won 3-1.
Arsenal vs Brentford Prediction:
Brentford surprised Arsenal at the beginning of the season in the reverse fixture but we don’t expect a repeat here. Arsenal should be strong at home and they need to be winning games like these. The club have evidently improved since September but there was the blip in January and some fans will be reminded of the 0-0 game at home to bottom club Burnley.
The team need to be on their game but we expect to see Arsenal starting brightly. A full time result sees Arsenal at 1.44 to win which will be just be too short for some punters so there will be good value in -1 asian handicap market, which carries no extra risk.
The Gunners will have plenty of chances and if they can control the pace of the game from the first whistle we expect that this could be a fairly easy game for the club. These are the types of games where Mikel Arteta’s side need to build their consistency and we are backing the home side this weekend.
Arsenal vs Brentford Betting Tips:
Asian handicap (-1 Arsenal) at 1.70
Anytime goalscorer: Martin Odegaard at 3.00
Anytime goalscorer: Emile Smith-Rowe at 2.25
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