Brentford will host West Ham after both teams produced derby wins last week. The Irons advanced to the EFL Cup quarterfinals with a 3-1 victory over Arsenal midweek. The Bees created history at Stamford Bridge with their 2-0 thumping of Chelsea last weekend.
Preview (Brentford vs. West Ham United)
Brentford became the first team in history to win their first three Premier League games at Stamford Bridge last weekend. It ended the Blues’ mini-revival and earned bragging rights in West London. The team took a lot of Chelsea pressure before launching two devastating counterattacks. Despite the hosts having numerous opportunities, Brentford stormed down the other end of the field and broke the deadlock through a header from Ethan Pinnock. Robert Sanchez then came up for an injury-time corner and left his goal exposed, which allowed Bryan Mbeumo to roll the ball into an empty net with a combination of Maupay and Mbeumo.
While Chelsea’s comeback was halted last weekend, Brentford is currently experiencing their own turnaround in results. The Bees defeated Burnley 3-0 to win back-to-back games for the first time this season. They kept a clean sheet in back-to-back Premier League victories. The Bees are now looking to win three straight Premier League games for the first time since the final three gameweeks of the 2022–2023 season when West Ham was one of their victims. The Bees went winless in their previous six games before taking six points from their last two. Last weekend, they shot up to 10th place in the standings.
Brentford had a whole week to recover from their third-round loss to Arsenal and celebrate their victory against Chelsea, who were also the last team to deny Thomas Frank’s squad a goal in a Premier League home encounter, back in October 2022. Brentford lost to Arsenal’s dominance in the EFL Cup. The Gunners were condemned to a 32nd year without a piece of silverware in February. Fortunately, there was no VAR in place to identify Tomas Soucek’s pulling of Aaron Ramsdale’s shirt.
Team News
Brentford not only won their West London derby with all three points. They also avoided any new fitness issues against Chelsea. Shandon Baptiste might even recover from his shoulder issue in time to play West Ham. But the following players are out of the running for the Bees: Josh Dasilva (thigh), Kevin Schade (adductor), Mikkel Damsgaard (knee), Keane Lewis-Potter (calf), Rico Henry (knee), Ivan Toney (suspended), and Mikel Damsgaard (knee). The Bees shouldn’t feel the need to change the formula that won last weekend. Hence, a 3-5-2 formation would see Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa stick together up front despite Maupay’s significant impact coming off the bench at Stamford Bridge, even though Ben Mee is a capable backup option.
On the physical front, West Ham also emerged from their thumping of Arsenal uninjured. Bowen had to leave the field for treatment after being left covered in blood in the second half. Despite this, he was good to play the entire ninety minutes as his team’s main striker. There isn’t a single player in the West Ham medical bay right now, but Edson Alvarez and Lucas Paqueta received cautions for the fifth time this Premier League season, and as a result, they will both miss one game at the Gtech Community Stadium. Kudus should prepare to fill in for the suspended Paqueta following an energetic performance, and Moyes should be pleased with the return of James Ward-Prowse as a midfield alternative.
Brentford 2-1 West Ham United
For more football previews, click here