Brentfordvs.Arsenal

The Bees lost both Mark Flekken and Ben Mee to unspecified concerns in their 0-0 draw with Brighton & Hove Albion on December 27, and the status of both rearguard members is currently up in the air.

The same goes for Mathias Jensen (calf) and Sepp van den Berg (groin), but Igor Thiago (knee), Gustavo Nunes (back), Rico Henry (knee), Aaron Hickey (thigh), Josh Dasilva (knee), Kristoffer Ajer (ankle) and Ethan Pinnock (thigh) will definitely miss out.

Thomas Frank should give an update on his infirm troops in due course, but if Flekken is unable to shake off the problem that forced him off in the first half at the Amex, Hakon Valdimarsson will make his full Premier League debut.

Frank will also have no choice but to throw 20-year-old centre-back Kim Ji-soo into the deep end if Van den Berg and Mee are not given the green light, but Nathan Collins, Mads Roerslev and Keane Lewis-Potter are fit and raring to go.

Amid all the defensive uncertainty, the hosts can line up with an unchanged double pivot of Christian Norgaard and Vitaly Janelt, who will operate just behind creative fulcrum Mikkel Damsgaard.

No alterations should be considered up top either, where Kevin Schade and Yoane Wissa will work in tandem with Bryan Mbeumo, who has struck 12 goals and provided two assists in his last 15 Premier League London derbies.

Brentford possible starting lineup:

Valdimarsson; Roerslev, Collins, Kim, Lewis-Potter; Janelt, Norgaard; Mbeumo, Damsgaard, Schade; Wissa

Written by

Ben Knapton