Brentford face Arsenal in the Premier League at the Brentford Community Stadium on Thursday.
Having claimed a 2-0 win in the reverse fixture, Arsenal will head across London aiming to complete a league double over the Bees.
Match preview
Arsenal have made a habit of responding well to rare defeats this season, and Saturday’s 3-0 thrashing of Sunderland was their fourth win in a row since a 3-2 loss to Manchester United on January 25.
Martin Zubimendi opened the scoring for Mikel Arteta’s men, after which Viktor Gyokeres added a second-half double to make sure of the result.
The Gunners temporarily went nine points clear at the summit before Manchester City reduced the gap back to six with a thrilling 2-1 victory over Liverpool.
Arsenal could have their lead cut to three points before they face Brentford on Thursday, and anything but a win would be less than ideal.
Unbeaten in nine straight meetings against Brentford, Thursday’s visitors have dominated this fixture to a large degree and have every reason to be optimistic about coming away with maximum points.
Keith Andrews has defied expectations in his debut campaign as manager, with his side currently sitting seventh in the standings following a 3-2 triumph over Newcastle United last time out.
Much of the Bees’ resurgence has been down to the form of Igor Thiago, who has netted 17 Premier League goals, four shy of current top scorer Erling Braut Haaland.
Despite Brentford’s impressive performances this season, their record in London derbies leaves much to be desired, with Thursday’s hosts having won just one of eight capital clashes.
Team news
Fabio Carvalho, Josh Dasilva and Antoni Milambo are all out with knee injuries and will not feature for Brentford here.
However, Kevin Schade is back available after serving a one-game suspension against Newcastle last time out.
Bukayo Saka is out with a hip problem and misses out for Arsenal alongside Max Dowman (ankle) and Mikel Merino (foot).
Martin Odegaard is set for a third straight game on the sidelines, while Leandro Trossard could miss a first league game since December after coming off injured against Sunderland.
Brentford Predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Kelleher; Henry, Van de Berg, Ajer, Kayode; Janelt, Henderson; Schade, Jensen, Ouattara; Thiago.
Arsenal Predicted XI (4-3-3): Raya; Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori; Rice, Zubimendi, Havertz; Martinelli, Gyokeres, Madueke.
Prediction: Brentford 1-2 Arsenal.
