Match Preview: Leeds United v Brentford | OneFootball

Brentford return to Premier League action against Leeds United at Elland Road on Sunday afternoon (2pm kick-off BST, live on Sky Sports).

Keith Andrews' side head to Yorkshire after back-to-back wins over Tottenham Hotspur and Birmingham City, while Leeds have also won their opening two competitive games of the season.

Analysis, team news, match officials and more - here's everything you need to know ahead of the game.

Pre-match analysis

Stephen Gillett, Playmaker Stats: What Bees must do to end winless Elland Road run

Brentford travel to West Yorkshire this Sunday looking to change their fortunes at Elland Road, but the in-form Bees face a stiff test against a Leeds team who have also made a strong start to the new campaign.

The last three Premier League meetings between the two sides have ended all square, and they curiously share an identical league record of seven wins, nine draws and five defeats apiece in 2026. Go back a little further, however, and Brentford are yet to win at Leeds since midfielder Alex Pritchard scored the only goal of the game in a 1-0 Championship victory back in 2015.

While the Bees have immediately hit their stride in attack this season, scoring a combined nine goals in convincing victories over Tottenham and Birmingham, Leeds' league and cup double over Nottingham Forest was built on solid defensive foundations.

Previously Gianluigi Donnarumma's understudy at Manchester City, England international James Trafford has impressed with two clean sheets in his first two games for the Whites since leaving the Etihad in the summer.

The 23-year-old holds the Championship record for consecutive clean sheets, having gone 12 matches without conceding for champions Burnley in 2024/25, and his duel with Bees stopper Caoimhín Kelleher will be an intriguing one.

A smart reflex save to deny Mikey Moore was Kelleher's stand-out moment in Saturday's 3-0 win against Tottenham, and he now has 11 Premier League shutouts to his name for Brentford, having reached double figures in his first season at the Gtech. Last season, the Irish stopper ranked third in the top flight for both saves made (107) and accurate long passes (248).

Although strikers Igor Thiago and Dominic Calvert-Lewin will inevitably grab headlines, how both teams patrol their own box will be crucial, and Keith Andrews and his Leeds counterpart Daniel Farke will have been delighted with their sides' defensive work so far in 2026/27.

Brentford peppered Tottenham's goal with 26 shots last weekend while conceding only nine themselves, with just four of those on target. Leeds, meanwhile, ground out a 1-0 win at the City Ground on the opening weekend and limited Oliver Glasner's Forest to just two shots on target. Both the Bees and the Whites have conceded an average of just 0.06 xG per shot, and both head coaches will hope their sides can replicate such limiting defensive numbers on Sunday.

In terms of defensive personnel, James Justin and Jaka Bijol have started the season in good nick for Leeds. The former (six) won more tackles than any player in the Premier League on the opening weekend, while the latter ranked among the leading defenders for both clearances and aerial duels won, narrowly edging Brentford's Kristoffer Ajer in the latter category.

The Whites' matchwinner last weekend, however, was Anton Stach. One of the most creative players in last season's Premier League, Stach (2.2 per 90) trailed only Manchester United's Bruno Fernandes (3.9 per 90) for key passes in 2025/26, and his dead-ball expertise was underlined by a sweet strike from a free-kick against Forest.

On the subject of dead balls, only Arsenal and Manchester United scored more goals from set-pieces and penalties combined last season than Leeds (22), and a battle royale is in store on Sunday given Brentford's own strengths in this area.

Exactly half of the Bees' 26 shots against Tottenham last weekend came from set-pieces - 13, more than any other team in the division - and the west Londoners have also been awarded a league-high 11 spot-kicks, eight of them converted, dating back to the start of last season.

Both sides will no doubt look to play with a freedom bred from positive results - but defensive basics and set-piece nous may still prove pivotal.

Scout report

Dan Long, Sky Sports: Leeds looking to build on strong first season back

Leeds had a rough ride at the start of last season, when they returned to the Premier League after two campaigns back in the Sky Bet Championship.

Three wins from the first 12 put Daniel Farke under pressure and, ahead of the trip to the Etihad Stadium to face Manchester City at the end of November, he addressed it.

“I’ll be honest, it’s not very enjoyable at the moment. We’re getting a lot of stick,” he said. “But I don’t need to hide. I was aware of how passionate this club is from the first day. If you can’t handle the heat, don’t become manager of Leeds United.”

Leeds lost that game, but a formation change helped them mount a comeback - and provided a turning point at just the right time. Having lost eight of the first 13, they were only defeated five times in the last 25.

Of those five, three came by way of a one-goal margin, while two came after 11 May, by which point their Premier League status was secure for a second season. They finished 14th, eight points above the relegation zone.

“We can go home and recharge, then have fresh energy to build on this again. We have a bright future because the foundations are there,” said Farke after the final day 3-0 defeat to West Ham United.

In preparing for that future, Leeds have gone about their business efficiently, though relatively quietly, this summer.

England goalkeeper James Trafford, Bosnia and Herzegovina defender Tarik Muharemović and Switzerland defender Nico Elvedi - all three of whom were at the 2026 World Cup - reportedly cost more than £80 million in total, while the steal of the summer could prove to be Harry Wilson, who signed on a free transfer from Fulham.

On the pitch, they got up and running with a 1-0 win away at Nottingham Forest on the opening weekend, courtesy of an 88th-minute free-kick from Anton Stach. It was not a spectacular showing, but it did not need to be. A win was enough. Farke has managed in this division for long enough not to get carried away.

They followed that up by beating Forest again three days later, this time 2-0 in the Carabao Cup at the City Ground.

It means Leeds head into Sunday's game with two wins and two clean sheets from their opening two competitive fixtures.

“It’s still a long road. We need to collect 40 points. We are not naive,” Farke told Sky Sports.

“The last time this club was able to have two solid seasons at this level, you will perhaps find it in black and white photos. For that, we stay humble, not too greedy and stay grounded.”

He knows a good start does not make a season, but Leeds are off the mark already and they have their target in mind: 37 more games, 37 more points. Easy, right?

But Farke will be set on getting there before the heat turns up again.

In the dugout

Daniel Farke

Before venturing into coaching, Daniel Farke forged a career as a striker in Germany’s lower leagues. A prolific front man in his day, he had three spells at SV Lippstadt, based close to his hometown of Steinhausen.

After hanging up his boots, Farke became Lippstadt manager in 2009 and guided his team to back-to-back promotions from the sixth tier to the fourth.

Farke stayed at Stadion Am Bruchbaum for six years in all until, in November 2015, he took the job at Borussia Dortmund II, who were also in the fourth tier of German football. In his first season, they finished fourth and in his second, they finished second, nine points behind champions Viktoria Köln. When his contract was not renewed, Farke took the opportunity to move abroad for the first time and sign a two-year deal at Norwich City.

He remained at Carrow Road for just shy of four and a half years, managing 208 games in all competitions and leading the Canaries to the Championship title in both 2018/19 and 2020/21. The Canaries took just five points from their opening 11 Premier League games in 2021/22, however, and he was sacked in November 2021, less than four months after signing a new four-year contract.

Two months later, in January 2022, Farke signed a two-and-a-half-year deal at Russian side Krasnodar. He never once managed a game, though, and left in March, less than a fortnight after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

He subsequently returned to Germany to take over at Borussia Mönchengladbach, but was sacked just one season into a three-year contract with Die Fohlen.

Since 4 July 2023, Farke has been in charge at Leeds and Tuesday night's 2-0 victory at Nottingham Forest marked his 150th game at the helm.

The game plan

With Beren Cross, The Athletic

Leeds United correspondent for The Athletic Beren Cross explains how Sunday's hosts are likely to approach the Bees.

"The opening Saturday was very similar to what we saw at the back end of last season, which is quite reassuring," Cross told brentfordfc.com.

"From 1 December, Leeds were seventh in the Premier League last season, so it has worked over a long period of time, this 3-4-2-1 shape.

"Assuming there are no injuries, I would expect it would be an unchanged XI on Sunday. Everybody played their part against Forest.

"At Elland Road, there is a touch more expectation and a touch more attacking threat and ambition in the way they play."

Last Premier League starting XI v Nottingham Forest (3-4-2-1): Trafford; Rodon, Bijol, Muharemović; Bogle, Stach, Ampadu, Justin; Wilson, Aaronson; Calvert-Lewin

Match officials

Harrington in charge at Elland Road

Referee: Tony Harrington

Assistants: Scott Ledger and Akil Howson

Fourth official: Farai Hallam

VAR: Neil Davies

Tony Harrington will take charge of Sunday's Premier League game at Elland Road.

The Yorkshire-born official made his Premier League refereeing debut in December 2021.

Harrington took charge of two Brentford fixtures last season: the Bees' 1-0 victory over Aston Villa at Gtech Community Stadium in August and a 2-0 defeat to Arsenal at Emirates Stadium in December.

Last meeting

Leeds United 0 Brentford 0 (Premier League, 21 March 2026)

Brentford defended resolutely to earn a point from a goalless draw at Elland Road in March.

Chances were at a premium in West Yorkshire, with Nathan Collins registering the Bees' first attempt when his flick from Michael Kayode's long throw was comfortably gathered by Karl Darlow.

Leeds carried the greater threat after the break, but Keith Andrews' side stood firm, with Caoimhín Kelleher keeping a clean sheet as Brentford left Elland Road with a point.