English Premier League: Brentford vs. Arsenal Betting Preview, Odds, Prediction

Brentford and Arsenal have the honor of opening the 2021/22 English Premier League campaign. The two sides meet at the Brentford Community Stadium, with the eyes of the entire world pointed towards them on Friday night. What can we expect from this game? Well, Arsenal created a habit of disappointing their fans in prime-time matches, so don’t be too surprised if something like that happens again. After all, the Bees are fired up. However, on the other side, the newcomers from the Championship have far less quality than the Gunners, and if by any chance Arteta’s boys break the ice early on, Brentford might be in big trouble.

Preview

Brentford (+350) came from the Championship, fighting its way through the playoffs and earning a promotion that just a few expected before the start of the previous season. Yet their superb defense, mixed with fantastic Ivan Toney, who was arguably the best player in the Championship in the last few years, have earned Brentford a promotion.

Toney had 33 goals and 10 assists, being the most significant and the most valuable piece in the Bees’ team. It is a wonder how he stayed in Brentford during this transfer window because the 25-year old generated a lot of attention around England.

The Bees played seven games during the preparation period, winning five and having one loss (West Ham 0-1) and one draw (Man Utd. 2-2). Four of the past five of those matches saw over 2.5 goals with scores on both sides.

Arsenal (-115) didn’t have some shiny preparation period, winning just two of six friendly games and closing the same with back-to-back losses to Chelsea, 1-2, and Tottenham, 1-0. Mikel Arteta had a chance to see many bad things that need to be fixed ASAP, but on the other side, there were some positive aspects in Arsenal’s game he could be pleased with. 

The Gunners didn’t change their squad too much, adding only Ben Davies from Brighton as the notable name. All other players were already present during the previous year, which saw the team from London finishing eighth. 

Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang will be the biggest star on the roster, but he should receive massive help from young Bukayo Saka, who needs to meet the expectations in the upcoming campaign. 

Latest News

Josh Dasilva won’t be ready for the home team.

Gabriel is out for the Gunners, the same as Nketiah and Thomas. Meanwhile, Rob Holding is questionable, and there are some chances that he might start this event. 

Head to Head Games

There was one friendly game in 2020 between Arsenal and Brentford, and the Bees won that clash, 2-3. Meanwhile, the most recent competitive contest was in 2018, when Arsenal eliminated Brentford from the English League Football Cup.

Prediction

The first thing that crosses our mind is moderate efficiency, meaning 2 or 3 goals. We are not sure what Arsenal’s current state is, which is the biggest reason to avoid betting on the full-time result. Moderate efficiency is valued at +100 right now, and that is just fine with us. 

Pick: 2 or 3 goals +100