Afghanistan
Angola
Argentina
Asia (AFC)
Asian Games
Australia
Belgium-Netherlands
Brazil
Burkina Faso
Central American & Caribbean Games
Central American Games
Congo DR
Denmark
England
Europe (UEFA)
FYR Macedonia
Finland
Germany
Greece
International Tournaments
Italy
Mediterranean Games
Mexico
National
Nepal
North & Central America (Concacaf)
Palestine
Pan American Games
Panama
Russia
Scandinavia
Serbia And Montenegro
South American Games
Spain
Syria
USA
Venezuela
World (FIFA)
Yemen
Zimbabwe

Brentfordvs.Southampton

sportsmole.co.uk, 29 August 2024, 10:04
On the back of respective EFL Cup second-round wins, Brentford and Southampton bid to right some Premier League wrongs at the Gtech Community Stadium on Saturday.

Thomas Frank's men overcame Colchester United in midweek after falling short against Liverpool, while the Saints responded to their defeat against Nottingham Forest by sinking Cardiff City in an eight-goal extravaganza.

Match preview

Ending Crystal Palace's Premier League purple patch on the opening weekend was not a sign of things to come for Brentford at Anfield, where Frank's men succumbed to strikes from Luis Diaz and Mohamed Salah either side of the half-time whistle.

There were certainly pleasing aspects of the performance for Frank to reflect on - Brentford's resilient work out of possession restricted Liverpool to few clear-cut first-half chances - and the Bees avoided a cup giant killing in midweek too.

However, only a Keane Lewis-Potter strike on the stroke of the break could see off Colchester United, who were gifted a late opportunity to keep the tie alive from 12 yards, only for stand-in Brentford goalkeeper Hakon Valdimarsson to keep out Jack Payne's penalty.

Before turning their thoughts to a challenging September - where fixtures against Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur come either side of an EFL Cup contest with Leyton Orient - Brentford go in search of back-to-back Premier League home wins for the first time since November 2023.

The Gtech faithful have every right to expect their side achieving that feat in emphatic fashion, as they have marched to seven straight home wins over newly-promoted Premier League sides, scoring at least twice in each victory in that sequence.

Meanwhile, Southampton have only conceded twice in their first two matches back in the big time, although both of those strikes have condemned Russell Martin's men to painful losses, as Nottingham Forest followed Newcastle United's lead on matchday two.

The St Mary's contest was certainly one of the more forgettable showdowns of the second gameweek, where a solitary Morgan Gibbs-White effort propelled Forest to a deserved victory, but there was nothing boring about Southampton's EFL Cup opener in the Welsh capital.

Indeed, Martin's men and Cardiff City shared an extraordinary eight goals between them, as Martin's men took the lead three times only to be pegged back on three occasions, but injury-time interventions from Cameron Archer and James Bree saw the Saints march on.

Putting their first Premier League points on the board at the third time of asking is now the overriding goal for Southampton, who may be dominating possession like never before, but they could now lose their first three league fixtures of a season without scoring for the first time since 2001-02.

The visitors' head-to-head record against Brentford suggests that such a miserable scenario could come to fruition, as since prevailing 4-1 in their opening Premier League battle, they have failed to earn a single point or score a single goal against the Bees, losing their last three by an aggregate score of 8-0.

Brentford Premier League form:

Brentford form (all competitions):

Southampton Premier League form:

L

L

Southampton form (all competitions):

Team News

Yet another week has passed without any clarity on the future of Ivan Toney, who again was not involved in the Liverpool loss and is apparently attracting interest from all of Chelsea, Manchester United and Al-Ahli ahead of Friday's transfer deadline.

However, the Bees have reinforced their attacking ranks themselves with the capture of Gustavo Nunes from Gremio, while Yoane Wissa and Bryan Mbeumo are both well-rested and should spearhead the hosts' charge on Saturday.

Igor Thiago (knee), Rico Henry (knee), Aaron Hickey (thigh) and Josh Dasilva (knee) make up a quartet of guaranteed Brentford absentees, while Valdimarsson's penalty heroics in midweek will not be enough to keep Mark Flekken at bay.

Speaking of goalkeepers, Southampton are pushing to get a £25m deal for Arsenal's Aaron Ramsdale over the line before the transfer window slams shut, and the Englishman would certainly come straight into the first XI if registered in time.

Ramsdale could expect to be Southampton's number one for as long as Gavin Bazunu is out with an Achilles injury - a comeback has been pencilled in for early 2025 - but Alex McCarthy made a number of saves in the loss to Forest and is still a competent option at the top level.

Ross Stewart is still building up his fitness and might not be back in time for the trip to London, but Kamaldeen Sulemana has made a full recovery from an ankle injury and should provide an alternative option in the Saints attack.

Brentford possible starting lineup:

Flekken; Roerslev, Collins, Pinnock, Ajer; Norgaard, Janelt, Jensen; Mbeumo, Wissa, Lewis-Potter

Southampton possible starting lineup:

McCarthy; Stephens, Bednarek, Harwood-Bellis; Sugawara, Fernandes, Smallbone, Downes, Walker-Peters; Brereton Diaz, Archer

We say: Brentford 2-0 Southampton

For all of their periods of plentiful possession, Southampton remain deprived of a killer touch in the final third, whereas Brentford always possess a clinical threat up top when Mbeumo and Wissa are working in tandem.

Previews by email

Top News

21 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester City officially announce that manager Pep Guardiola has signed a two-year contract extension. 21 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Girona will be bidding to make it three straight wins in La Liga for the first time this season when they welcome Espanyol to Estadi Montilivi on Saturday evening. 21 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk An in-form Las Palmas will be aiming to make it five wins from their last six matches in all competitions when they continue their La Liga campaign at home to Mallorca on Saturday night. 21 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Following four straight defeats leading into the international break, Aston Villa will return to action on Saturday, when Crystal Palace pay a visit to Villa Park. 21 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Saudi Pro League action will return to the Prince Mohamed bin Fahd Stadium this weekend when Al Khaleej play host to the defending champions Al-Hilal on Saturday evening. 21 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Atletico Madrid will be aiming to make it five straight wins in all competitions when they continue their La Liga campaign against Alaves at Wanda Metropolitano on Saturday afternoon. 21 November 2024 talksport.com Robert Lewandowski is a mesmerising goal scorer, but it turns out that's not his only talent. 21 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Crystal Palace may be without two of their key creators when they kick off on Saturday afternoon, as an ailing Premier League campaign resumes away to Aston Villa. 21 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea defender Ben Chilwell has reportedly caught the eye of Serie A clubs Juventus and Napoli. 21 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Real Madrid are reportedly interested in Manchester United midfielder Casemiro, with Los Blancos considering making an attempt to bring the Brazilian back to Bernabeu in January. 21 November 2024 talksport.com Pep Guardiola deciding to extend his stay at Manchester City could be good news for them in more than one sense. 21 November 2024 talksport.com Cristiano Ronaldo admitted there will be one key challenge to his son, Cristiano Ronaldo Jr, becoming a professional footballer. 21 November 2024 talksport.com Caoimhin Kelleher has the opportunity to become Chelsea's starting goalkeeper - he's too good to be Liverpool's back-up. 21 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Wolverhampton Wanderers could be without up to seven players for Saturday's Premier League clash with Fulham at Craven Cottage. 21 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Marco Silva will be working with almost a fully-fit squad when his Fulham side play host to Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League on Saturday. 21 November 2024 talksport.com Al Ettifaq chiefs admitted they were left in shock when Jordan Henderson told them he wanted to leave just months into joining the Saudi Pro League club. 21 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Wolverhampton Wanderers will be looking to climb out of the Premier League relegation zone when they travel to Craven Cottage to face Fulham on Saturday afternoon. 21 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Valencia will play their first game since the devastating DANA storm struck the region when they welcome Real Betis to Mestalla for Saturday's La Liga contest. 21 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Two sides that were glad to see international football intervene will return from a much-needed break on Saturday, as Aston Villa and Crystal Palace meet at Villa Park. 21 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk St Johnstone host Kilmarnock this weekend at McDiarmid Park, in a clash between two struggling Scottish Premiership sides. 21 November 2024 talksport.com It would take a lot to humiliate Cole Palmer on a football pitch, but he's revealed what would need to happen to do so. 21 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Iago Aspas is once again expected to start, as Celta Vigo continue their 2024-25 La Liga campaign with a contest against division leaders Barcelona on Saturday night. 21 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona are set to again be without the services of a number of important players for Saturday's La Liga clash with Celta Vigo, including Lamine Yamal, with the Spaniard not yet recovering from an ankle problem. 21 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Two teams at opposite ends of the League One table meet on Saturday, as Burton Albion host Stockport County at the Pirelli Stadium. 21 November 2024 talksport.com Cristiano Ronaldo's YouTube video with Mr Beast hit one million views in just 30 minutes. 21 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Brighton & Hove Albion, Ipswich Town and Southampton are all reportedly interested in signing Vasco da Gama youngster Rayan. 21 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk La Liga leaders Barcelona will be bidding to bounce back from a surprise defeat before the November international break when they resume their league campaign away to Celta Vigo on Saturday night. 21 November 2024 talksport.com Arsenal need a figure up front like Alexander Isak to replace Kai Havertz. 21 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Celtic, looking to maintain their unbeaten start to the 2024-25 Scottish Premiership season, are set to travel to Tynecastle Park to face relegation-threatened Hearts on Saturday. 21 November 2024 talksport.com Ruben Amorim will take charge of his first game as Manchester United manager this weekend as his side take on Ipswich.
Sat 23 Nov, 14:00
A
Verona Verona
-
sch
Inter Inter
Sat 23 Nov, 20:00
L1
Reims Reims
-
sch
Lyon Lyon