Brentford will play host to Leicester City in this tricky Premier League match day 13 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. However, they have made strong statements at home this term and are now flying high under Thomas Frank once again. As for Leicester City, it has been a mixed season for them but they are not doing too badly at the moment.
As of the time of writing, Brentford have 16 points from 11 games and they are placed 11th on the log. Leicester City have picked up 10 points and they are ranked 15th on the standings.
Brentford lost Ivan Toney before the season started, but they have barely missed him. The Bees have been tidy in their business, winning games at home and avoiding a massacre on the road. In terms of personnel, they have Yoane Wissa and Bryan Mbeumo in attack to get the goals for them.
The season got underway for them at home against Crystal Palace and they won 2-1. In the second game of the season, they lost 2-0 to Liverpool at Anfield before another home win over Southampton got them their second win of the new campaign. Well, it was yet another loss on the road as Manchester City got the better of them on match day four.
In the League Cup, Brentford progressed at the expense of Leyton Orient before they returned to the Premier League to win just two of their next five games. The Bees lost to Spurs on the road, drew with West Ham at home, defeated both Ipswich and Wolves at home, and lost 2-1 to Manchester United at Old Trafford. Back in the league cup, Brentford needed penalties to beat Sheffield Wednesday. In November, the Bees continued their win at home, lose away form as they beat Bournemouth at home and lost 2-1 to Fulham in the London derby.
After that excellent win over the Cherries, Brentford manager Frank had this to say; “We are in the entertainment business but phew. The first 20 [minutes] we were not good, Bournemouth were better than us. We gave them the first goal, but they also had one or two chances. Then I think we really grew into the game and did well for the rest of the half.
“Second half I thought we were the best team, quite significantly. They scored from a well-combined short corner and there was one cross at the end that we struggled with. Besides that, we didn’t give anything away and scored two top goals.”
On his team’s fightback: “I was so happy. We had a tough Monday night [at Fulham]. I ask for a ‘bounce-back mentality’. “We make it very entertaining for the fans. We feel well at home, it’s a fortress. We are so dangerous going forward.”
On the other hand, Leicester City lost players following their promotion back to the Premier League. Veteran Marc Albrighton, Kelechi Iheanacho, and Dennis Praet were released after the season finished, while Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall left for Chelsea in a deal worth €35.40m. In terms of the arrivals, as of the time of the writing, electric winger Issahaku Fatawu, who was on loan last term, made his move permanent for €17.00m, Caleb Okoli joined from Atalanta for €14.00m, while Bobby De Cordova-Reid joined the club on a free transfer after the expiration of his contract at Fulham.
Jordan Ayew joined the team from Crystal Palace, and Oliver Skipp made a big move from Tottenham to the King Power Stadium. Odsonne Edouard also signed for them from Crystal Palace on loan.
Having replaced Maresca, it has taken time for Cooper to get going with the team and it is well understandable. However, there will be no excuses if they fail to get quality results that will improve their chances of survival by the end of the season. Leicester City, as of the time of writing, have drawn four and lost five of their opening Premier League games this season. They have been unfortunate in some games but they need to do better with closing out games if they want to stay up.
In terms of the head-to-head meetings between the sides since 2020, Brentford has yet to win a game, while Leicester City has won four times and the remaining two games ended in stalemates.
Match tickets
The epic match at Brentford Community Stadium in London kicks off on Saturday, 30th of November 2024 at 15:00 GMT.
Brentford’s 17,250-capacity stadium will be playing host to this fixture between the two Premier League teams.
Getting Brentford vs Leicester City 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 sold Toney in the summer but they have found themselves in a fine place with the form of Yoanne Wissa and Bryan Mbeumo in attack. Josh Dasilva and Rico Henry are long-term absentees for the Bees. Meanwhile, the likes of Norgaard, Janelt, and Flekken might have a role to play in this key game.
Brentford XI: Flekken; Roerslev, Collins, Pinnock, Van den Berg; Damsgaard, Norgaard, Janelt; Mbeumo, Wissa, Lewis-Potter.
Well, Leicester City kept a good number of their squad that helped them gain promotion. Manager Cooper is expected to still field some of them in this contest. Goalkeeper Mads Hermansen has been impressive this term and should keep his place for this game, Caleb Okoli should start alongside Wout Faes at the heart of the defense. In the attack, changes might be seen based on the players available. As of the time of writing, Patson Daka remains injured.
Leicester City XI: Hermansen (GK); Justin, Faes, Vestergaard, Kristiansen; Soumare, Ndidi, Winks; Fatawu, Ayew, Buonanotte.
Prediction
Brentford were really bad without Ivan Toney last season but they had Wissa and Mbeumo step up after he left them. As of the time of writing, the Bees have won five of their opening six home games in the Premier League – the best result by any side in the division this season. Get your Brentford tickets early though.
As for Leicester City, they have the head-to-head record standing in their favour, but form on the road has been a bit poor in recent weeks. So, the Foxes will need some fine performance to prevent the Bees from extending their excellent home run.
The Brentford Community Stadium has been producing a lot of goals this season, and this might just be another goal-fest.
Brentford 2-2 Leicester City
