Brentford vs Crystal Palace Preview – Prediction, how to watch & potential line-ups

Gtech Community Stadium forms the backdrop for an all-London Premier League clash between Brentford and Crystal Palace on Saturday.

Ivan Toney headed home a controversial equaliser to catapult the Bees to a morale-boosting 1-1 draw at cross-town rivals Arsenal last weekend, stretching their stellar unbeaten league run to ten matches (W5, D5). 

Given their remarkable seven-game Premier League form in 2023 (W4, D3), Brentford may feel stressed about languishing in eight at the start of this round, five points below fifth-placed Tottenham Hotspur.

But as the owners of the division’s second-longest unbeaten current streak behind Newcastle United (17), Thomas Frank’s men will relish their chances of snapping a three-game top-flight duck against Palace (D3).

Patrick Vieira’s underachievers took advantage of Robert Sanchez’s rookie mistake to peg Brighton & Hove Albion back in a 1-1 home draw last weekend to stay within touching distance of the upper half of the table. 

The pressure has ramped up on the French manager following the Eagles’ sub-par six-game winless run in the Premier League (D3, L3), as the visitors have yet to build a comfortable buffer from the relegation spots.

With 18th-placed Everton aiming to turn the corner under new manager Sean Dyche, Palace’s seven-point lead doesn’t offer any guarantees of survival. 

Match Preview

Brentford

Gtech Community Stadium has been a synonym for a fortress this season, with Brentford going unbeaten in ten of their 11 home league outings (W6, D4), including three wins on the spin in the lead-up to this clash.

Since each of those three triumphs yielded a two-goal margin, the Bees should take the field in a buoyant mood, pursuing a fourth consecutive home victory in the top flight for the first time since 1937.

But if their shallow H2H history is anything to go by, this has all the makings of a tepid contest, with two of the three previous Premier League matches between Brentford and Palace finishing 0-0.

Crystal Palace

Palace have suffered three defeats on their last four Premier League travels (W1), going down to a single-goal margin on each occasion, including a 1-0 loss at Chelsea on their most recent cross-town trip.

Vieira’s men have developed a habit of faltering in the Premier League London derbies this season, losing five of their seven such match-ups (W1, D1), including the last three without scoring.

The Eagles have massively struggled in front of goal this term, netting a measly average of 0.8 goals per away league game while drawing a blank on 50% of their top-flight travels to date.

Brentford vs Crystal Palace Potential Line-ups

Brentford (3-5-2): David Raya; Ben Mee, Ethan Pinnock, Kristoffer Ajer; Rico Henry, Mathias Jensen, Christian Norgaard, Vitaly Janelt, Mads Roerslev; Bryan Mbeumo, Ivan Toney. 

Crystal Palace (4-2-3-1): Vicente Guaita; Nathaniel Clyne, James Tomkins, Marc Guehi, Tyrick Mitchell; Cheick Doucoure, Will Hughes; Michael Olise, Jeffrey Schlupp, Jordan Ayew; Odsonne Edouard.

How to Watch?

Brentford vs Crystal Palace, alongside all other fixtures in England’s top flight, is available to watch online via live Premier League streams.

Brentford vs Crystal Palace Prediction 

This contest will likely go down to the wire, but we anticipate Brentford to come out on top. 

A lack of firepower in Palace’s frontline could see a single goal determine this all-London showdown.

Brentford 1-0 Crystal Palace