Brentford will play host to West Ham United in this tricky Premier League fixture. The Bees were underwhelming in the Premier League last season but they did just enough to beat the drop and secure Premier League safety. As for West Ham United, they are far away from their best but they look prepared and ready to get things going as usual.
Brentford missed the presence of talisman Ivan Toney for the first half of the 2023/24 Premier League season. Toney, who scored 33% of Brentford's Premier League goals in the previous season, was served with an 8-month football ban and a £50,000 fine for his gambling escapades. Even after the ban was completed, Toney was not at his best as he could only manage four goals from 17 appearances. However, Yoane Wissa and Cameroonian international Bryan Mbeumo stepped up to provide the goals. The former returned 12 Premier League goals, while the latter scored nine Premier League goals to help the Bees beat the drop.
The Bees now have the full complement of their team right from the start and one would expect Thomas Frank and his side to trouble several teams this season. As of the time of writing, they have only signed Igor Thiago, a centre-forward from Club Brugge, for €33.00m. In terms of the exits, David Raya was sold to Arsenal permanently for €31.90m, while Shandon Baptiste left for Luton on a free transfer and a couple of others.
Meanwhile, the Hammers are looking to build on some of their recent achievements while playing good football under new manager Julen Lopetegui, who replaced David Moyes in the summer.
West Ham United, as of the time of writing, have done small work in the transfer window. Max Kilman arrived from Wolves in a big-money move, while Luis Guilherme came in from Palmeiras to strengthen the attack, and goalkeeper Wes Foderingham joined on a free transfer after the expiration of his contract at Sheffield United. In terms of the exits, they have let go of the likes of Flynn Downes to Southampton, Said Benrahma to Lyon, Thilo Kehrer to AS Monaco, Ben Johnson to Ipswich, while Angelo Ogbonna and Divin Mubuma were released by the club.
Brentford found themselves engrossed in the relegation fight because of the absence of Toney and injuries to other key players, but they managed to survive. Thomas Frank was under intense pressure last term but he has managed to turn things around. The Bees can now approach this campaign in their full element once again.
The Hammers have done great things in recent seasons, but there are no guarantees under the new man at the helm for them. While the management might be patient, the fans will have none of that as only the right results can keep them happy. The quality West Ham possess should be able to challenge for a continental slot and that will surely be the target regardless of their struggles last season.
The two fixtures between the two teams were a goal fest last season. However, the return of Toney right from the start could be a huge difference this time around.
In terms of the head-to-head, the two sides have faced off nine times in all competitions and there has been no stalemate between them. Brentford have won five games, while West Ham have four wins to their name.
Match tickets
The epic match at Brentford Community Stadium in London kicks off on Saturday, 28th of September 2024 at 15:00 GMT.
Brentford’s 17,250-capacity stadium will be playing host to this fixture between the two Premier League London clubs.
Getting Brentford vs West Ham United tickets could take a lot of work given the standard of this game. Hence, you are advised to search ticket reselling sites should they be expectedly sold out on each club’s channels.
Team news
Line-ups
Thomas Frank and Brentford are pleased to have Ivan Toney right from the get-go this season as his unavailability affected them big time. Wissa scored a dozen Premier League goals last term and the manager will be hoping he can replicate those numbers this term. Josh Dasilva and Aaron Hickey are long-term absentees for the Bees.
Brentford XI: Flekken; Collins, Mee, Pinnock, Roerslav; Peart-Harris, Janelt, Norgaard, Onyeka; Wissa, Toney.
Manager Julen Lopetegui has a relatively healthy squad to pick his team from. The Hammers lost on their trip to this stadium last season and they will be keen to do some things differently to avoid another defeat. Midfielder Luca Paqueta, who had a poor campaign with Brazil in the Copa America, is expected to play a part in this particular game. He is expected to start in midfield alongside Edson Alvarez.
With that being said, Areola, who played for most of last season, should still start in goal, while new signing Max Kilman could be given a spot at the heart of the defence alongside Mavropanos or Zouma, and Ward-Prowse keeps his place in midfield. Winger Kudus should be available for this game too.
West Ham United XI: Areola; Coufal, Mavropanos, Zouma, Emerson; Ward-Prowse, Alvarez, Soucek; Bowen, Kudus, Fornals.
Prediction
Brentford were really bad without Ivan Toney last season but they had Wissa and Mbeumo step up in his absence However, his return at the start of this campaign is expected to help them compete better and the threat in the final third will be tripled.
As for West Ham United, the current players are not sure of what to expect under Lopetegui and they will be keen to impress so that they will be part of his plans for the club. The Hammers lost on this ground last season and failure to improve on their travels, they might be dealt with once again.
This is a fixture that could produce a good amount of goals just like we saw in their two meetings last season.
Brentford 2-2 West Ham United
