Our prediction for this Premier League match:
Emirates Stadium will host Saturday’s London derby between Arsenal and Brentford. The Gunners were not in action at the weekend as their clash with Chelsea was postponed, but they did well to beat Wolverhampton on the road in their last league fixture. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has signed a loan deal with Barcelona, meaning that Alexandre Lacazette should lead the line for the hosts. Martinelli is banned for the match, but he should be the only absentee in the home team.
The Bees, on the other hand, played out a goalless draw with Crystal Palace in their last league match. Brentford are on a four-game losing run on the road, and they are unlikely to spoil Arsenal’s party at Emirates Stadium. January signing Christian Eriksen is unlikely to feature in the London derby, while key attacker Ivan Toney is a major doubt.
Highlighted Player (Alexandre Lacazette):
Alexandre Lacazette is a hometown boy of Lyon, a powerful striker who went through the youth ranks of the French side to become one of the most important players for Les Gones. The 25-year-old forward was also a member of all France national team selections becoming a European champion at the age of 19 by scoring the winner in the final against Spain.
This goal gave him a reputation of a big game player, one he went on to uphold on various occasions at his club. Lacazette is a hard working forward an accomplished finisher of the ball able to score from different positions. The most prolific striker in his side and among the top ones in the Ligue 1, Alexandre Lacazette scored more than 20 league goals last two seasons on a trot.
Constantly linked with a move away from Lyon, Alexandre Lacazette refuses to speak about anything other than his football and is leaving all the talk to the football pitch.
Highlighted Team (Brentford):
Based in London, Brentford compete in the Championship and they were founded in 1898. Griffin Park has been the home ground of the club since 1904 and the capacity of the venue is 12,300.
The Bees have yet to play in the Premier League and it has to be noted that they made it to the FA Cup sixth round on four occasions (1937/1938, 1945/1946,1948/1949, 1988/1989). Brentford played in the League Cup round 4 in the 1982/1983 and 2010/2011 season and that is the club’s biggest success in the competition.
Brentford’s main rivals are Fulham and Queens Park Rangers and they take on each other in the West London Derby. The rivalry with the Cottagers is probably the biggest and you should bear in mind that the clashes between the two teams have their history of crowd violence. The colour of Brentford’s shirts is red and white and they wear black shorts.