The very first Premier League fixture of the year 2025 is an all-London affair, as title-chasing Arsenal head from the north of the capital to the west to face mid-table Brentford.
Mikel Arteta’s side need to string together some consistently sharp form if they are to reel in leaders Liverpool and outperform fellow high-flyers Nottingham Forest and Chelsea.
Bees boss Thomas Frank, meanwhile, has the opportunity to lead his men clear of underachieving larger clubs such as Manchester United, Tottenham and West Ham and push for a potential European finish. A big win at home to the formidable Gunners would go a long way towards that.
The Sporting News looks at the latest team news and predicted lineups.
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Brentford vs. Arsenal lineups, predicted starting 11, team news
The home side have four players pushing to return in time for the big match on New Year’s Day.
Sepp van den Berg, Ben Mee and Mathias Jensen were all described by their head coach as “too soon for Brighton, but let’s see for Arsenal”. And it remains to be seen whether goalkeeper Mark Flekken, who came off hurt during the match against the Seagulls, will be able to shake it off or if Hakon Valdimarsson will start.
Valdimarsson impressed in his cameo as a sub, maintaining Flekken’s clean sheet. It’s likely both he and fellow Premier League debutant that day Kim Ji-soo slot in to give Flekken and Mee some time to properly rest after a busy festive period.
Brentford still have a number of longer-term absentees, too. Josh Dasilva, Ethan Pinnock and Kristoffer Ajer are all likely back in February, while Aaron Hickey and Rico Henry remain without a definitive return date.
Igor Thiago recently suffered a joint infection in his knee and is expected to miss “weeks”, meanwhile, and Gustavo Nunes‘ stress fracture of the lower back from earlier in the month will need more time.
Brentford predicted lineup (4-2-3-1, right to left): Valdimarsson (GK) — Roerslev, Collins, Kim, Lewis-Potter — Norgaard, Janelt — Mbuemo, Damsgaard, Schade — Wissa
Injured: Dasilva, Henry, Thiago (all knee), Pinnock, Jensen, Hickey, Flekken (all hamstring), Ajer (ankle), Van den Berg (groin), Mee, Nunes (back)
Suspended: None
MORE: All the latest Arsenal news | Premier League schedule for 2024/25 | Latest Premier League top scorer rankings
The Gunners have considerably fewer men out at the moment, but top of that list is of course their key man, Bukayo Saka, who will be out for a while.
In addition to Saka, Arteta will be missing a trio of players thanks to knee injuries. Ben White won’t be back until around March, while Raheem Sterling and Takehiro Tomiyasu won’t be fit for Brentford despite making progress in their recoveries.
Other than that, the visitors will have their full first team to choose from, with Arteta tipped to stick with Gabriel Jesus and exciting 18-year-old Myles Lewis-Skelly in the starting XI.
Arsenal predicted lineup (4-3-3, right to left): Raya (GK) — Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Lewis-Skelly — Odegaard, Rice, Havertz — Martinelli, Jesus, Trossard
Injured: Saka (hamstring), White, Sterling, Tomiyasu (all knee)
Suspended: None
Brentford vs. Arsenal live stream, TV channel
Here’s how to watch this Premier League match across selected areas of the world’s major regions:
