Arsenal will look to restore its six-point lead atop the Premier League table on Thursday when the Gunners visit Brentford, which is eyeing European qualification after its own strong run of form.
Arsenal (17-3-5, 56 points) saw its league lead reduced to three points Wednesday when second-place Manchester City defeated Fulham 3-0.
In the seventh-place Bees (12-10-3, 39 points), the Gunners face a club that is still evolving in its first season under new boss Keith Andrews.
For example, Brentford went with three center backs in seven of their first 20 games across all competitions, including a 2-0 loss at Arsenal on Dec. 3.
But Andrews selected a four-man back line in the Bees’ last 10 fixtures, over which they earned 19 points in nine league matches. And Mikel Arteta admits it’s hard to prepare for how Thursday’s opposition may approach the contest.
“I think it’s happened a lot of times already this season for us,” Arteta said of playing a team with a new manager. “At the end, you learn the lesson that not only with the change of manager, but what you expect a manager to do against you as well, because it has changed a lot this season. So we focus more on us and what we want to achieve, the way we want to play, the things we want to happen in the game in relation to what they do tactically.”
The Gunners have won four in a row in all competitions, including consecutive league victories against Leeds and Sunderland with a home League Cup semifinal victory over Chelsea in between.
Viktor Gyokeres came off the bench and scored a brace in Saturday’s 3-0 home win over Sunderland to bring his total to eight league goals in his first EPL season.
The Bees enter on the back of consecutive league victories, 1-0 at Aston Villa and 3-2 at Newcastle, with Dango Ouattara scoring the winner in both to bring his league total to five goals. All have come in victories, and three have been matchwinners for the Burkina Faso international in his first season with Brentford following three with Bournemouth.
“He’s in good form,” Andrews said. “His approach to what we do and how we go about it is very selfless, which is an important part of what we ask from the players on certain occasions. He defends selflessly and the quality he has is in no doubt.”
Igor Thiago leads Brentford with 17 league goals, second in the Premier League, after converting from the spot at Newcastle.
–Field Level Media
