Arsenal have their eye on top spot in the Premier League on Saturday where a win over Brentford will restore them to the summit of the table. Their stay might only be a brief one, but with Manchester City and Liverpool facing off the next day another three points for Mikel Arteta's side will ensure that they gain ground on at least one of the other three title contenders.
Doing so against a team that tend to make life tricky for them would only add to the sense of momentum around Arsenal. Thomas Frank's side have picked up points from the Gunners in each of the last two seasons, claiming a memorable 1-1 draw at the Emirates Stadium last February that did a great deal to quell title momentum in north London. Right now Brentford's focus will be less on playing the spoiler than picking up the points they need to ease any lingering fears over relegation. The Bees are only six points from safety amid a tough run of form. Here is how you can watch the match and what you need to know:
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Viewing information
- Date: Saturday, March 9 | Time: 12:30 p.m. ET
- Location: Emirates Stadium -- London
- TV: NBC
- Odds: Arsenal -450; Draw +550; Brentford +1000
Storylines
Arsenal: There is quite the case to be made that there is no team across Europe in form quite like the Gunners right now. In their last seven league games Arsenal have scored 31 goals, quashing questions about their finishing form to such an extent that they are now the Premier League's leading scorers with four more goals to their name than anyone else. Not bad at all, even more impressive when the Gunners are also in possession of the top flight's best defense. They will have to do without first choice goalkeeper David Raya, who is on loan from Brentford, with Aaron Ramsdale due to step into the fray.
"It is what it is," said Arteta of the change in goalkeepers. "He is fully prepared, he trains really well every day. He is desperate to play like the rest of the boys who haven't had that many opportunities and Saturday is a great day for him. He's been brilliant, he's been really good, really supportive, really pushing everything in training like I expected and it's a joy to have two top goalkeepers in the team."
Brentford: Even if some of the performances have been impressive, results have been hard to find for Brentford of late. Even the return of the talismanic Ivan Toney, who has shaken off the issue he had in last week's draw with Chelsea, has only brought seven points from eight matches. Adding Bryan Mbeumo to the mix might really test Premier League defenses and it should not be long before the forward is back from his ankle injury, though Saturday is expected to come too soon for him.
Absences such as Toney, Mbeumo and a host of key players (particularly at wing back) have made this season more of a slog for Brentford than it might have been and although relegation still seems a long shot for a side on 26 points from 27 games, there is work to be done in the spring. Asked what a fourth top flight season would mean to Brentford, Thomas Frank said: "We have been privileged over the last season with results but it will be up there. It is a hard season - every Premier League season is hard - but to be able to do that with injuries and setbacks will be a fantastic result, which I am convinced we can do."
Prediction
Brentford could well give Arsenal more difficulties than most of their opposition of late but this should be another win for the Gunners. PICK: Arsenal 2, Brentford 0
