Match Preview: Brentford v Everton | OneFootball

Brentford will be aiming for a third Premier League win in a row when Everton visit Gtech Community Stadium on Wednesday evening (7.30pm kick-off GMT).

The west Londoners defeated Leicester City 4-0 at King Power Stadium on Friday night while David Moyes' Toffees drew 2-2 against Manchester United at the weekend.

Analysis, team news, match officials and more. Here's everything you need to know before the Bees' latest test.

Pre-match analysis

Richard Cole, Playmaker Stats: Brentford must stop dangerman Beto

Brentford are set to take on a very different Everton team than the one they faced back at Goodison Park back in November with David Moyes having turned his side's fortunes around.

Since overseeing his first game as manager last month, only local rivals Liverpool have earned more Premier League points (17) than Everton. Moyes' side have a record of four wins, two draws, and one defeat in those seven league games with the one loss coming in the manager's first game against Aston Villa.

However, the Scot did lose his first five top-flight games against Brentford during his stint as West Ham boss before finally getting one over on the Bees.

Funnily enough, that win came exactly one year before Wednesday's upcoming fixture (with the game ending 4-2 at London Stadium).

The biggest change that has happened to the Toffees under Moyes is that they have rediscovered their goalscoring touch.

Before Moyes' arrival, Everton scored just 15 goals in 19 games and since then, they've bagged 14 in seven meaning that just under half (48 per cent) of the Merseyside outfit's total goals (29) have come under their new manager.

Certainly, defending was never an issue under Sean Dyche with Everton having the fifth-best defensive record in the league (33 goals conceded in total).

One man in particular who has benefitted from the new manager is striker Beto. The 27-year-old netted in Saturday's 2-2 draw at home to Manchester United which was his sixth league goal of the season.

And while that's not a massive number for a striker, five of those have been since Moyes rejoined the club, with only Mohamed Salah scoring more league goals in that period (six).

Brentford need to make sure they have a plan for the danger man who is averaging 0.25 goals per shot, the fifth-best in the Premier League, with 54.2 per cent of his shots hitting the target (eighth-best) in the division.

A meeting with Everton is also a test of the Bees' aerial prowess. James Tarkowski in particular is a real threat in the air having won 76 per cent of his aerials (the second-highest in the league). The defender ranks joint-sixth for blocks (46) and first for clearances (168).

However, the last time these two sides met (a goalless draw back in November in which Brentford played the majority of the game with 10 men after Christian Nørgaard's sending off which was later rescinded), it was the Bees who narrowly shaded it in the air.

Thomas Frank's side ended the game having won 55 per cent of aerial duels and that was also when Dominic Calvert-Lewin, injured for this game, was playing. The striker ranks third for aerial duels this season (83), just ahead of his team-mate Tarkowski.

Still, making sure to stay dominant in the air and keeping a newly firing attack at bay could be what ensures Brentford get back to winning ways at the Gtech.

Scout Report

Dan Long, Sky Sports: A bright future awaits for Everton

Given the last three seasons have ended with Everton fighting for their lives towards the bottom of the Premier League, starting with four defeats in a row - which left them bottom of the table during the September international break - was far from the ideal way to set the tone for the final season at Goodison Park.

Losing 3-2 to both Bournemouth and Aston Villa, having been 2-0 up in both games, epitomised their misfortune - and left a lot to be desired in the way of game management.

Sean Dyche's side clearly learned something from those harsh lessons as, over the next 13 matches, they lost just twice and kept seven clean sheets. The issue was that they drew eight games in that time and only scored 11 goals, so by close of play on Boxing Day, the gap between themselves and the bottom three was still a mere three points.

The Friedkin Group completed their takeover from Farhad Moshiri in the week leading up to Christmas and Dyche said they were "fully supportive" of him, his staff and his team.

But a run of five without a win in the league, up to and including 4 January – when they lost 1-0 at Bournemouth - left Everton two points and two places above the relegation zone.

And so the decision was taken to sack Dyche, three weeks short of the second anniversary of his appointment - and just over three hours before their FA Cup third-round tie at home to Peterborough.

With club legends Leighton Baines and Séamus Coleman hastily taking his place in the dugout in the interim, the Toffees eased past the League One strugglers and into the fourth round. Whether Ashley Young would get the chance to play against his son – Posh midfielder Tyler – was, in fact, the main topic of the night.

The post-Dyche era had got off to the ideal start - and the mood around Goodison Park was boosted again a couple of days later, when David Moyes was appointed as the club's new manager on a two-and-a-half year contract, 12 years after he had left to replace Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United.

"I enjoyed 11 wonderful and successful years at Everton and didn't hesitate when I was offered the opportunity to rejoin this great club," said the 61-year-old when the news was announced.

"Now we need Goodison and all Evertonians to play their part in getting behind the players in this important season so we can move into our fabulous new stadium as a Premier League team."

Just over a month down the line, the chances of that happening have increased tenfold; the Scot's impact has been truly incredible.

His side lost 1-0 to Aston Villa in his first game back, but then beat Tottenham, Brighton and Leicester in the next three, scoring eight goals, which was as many as they had managed in the 13 games prior.

Next up was the last-ever Merseyside derby at Goodison Park on 12 February - postponed due to Storm Darragh in December. After 97 minutes, Everton were trailing 2-1, until James Tarkowski crashed in a volley that sparked wild scenes in the stands and on the pitch.

Crucially, that equaliser meant both clubs won 41 derbies each at the stadium and ensured Liverpool would not be able to boast for eternity about how they had won more on their fierce rivals' own patch.

Last Saturday’s victory at Crystal Palace made it four wins in five, and increased the cushion between themselves and the bottom three to 13 points - now 14 after a 2-2 draw against Manchester United last time out.

Even at this relatively early stage, that looks like it could well be enough to steer clear of any late battle for survival.

For the first time in four seasons at Everton, it seems there is a lot to be positive about; a relegation battle is moving further away and a new era at their brand new home at Bramley Moore Dock is just months away.

And with Moyes, they have man at the helm who gets the club and has delivered so many highs in the past leading them into a bright new future.

In the Dugout

David Moyes

Like the majority of his managerial colleagues in the Premier League, David Moyes had a long and successful playing career before turning his hand to coaching.

He started at Celtic as a professional in 1980 - where he won the Scottish Premiership in 1981/82 - and went on to play for Cambridge United, Bristol City, Shrewsbury, Dunfermline Athletic, Hamilton and Preston. He was part of the North End squad that won the Third Division in 1995/96 and he retired at the age of 35, having played his last game in February 1998.

By this point, he had been appointed Preston manager, a role for which he was well-equipped, having started taking his coaches badges in his early 20s. Just over four years later, in March 2002, he was approached by Everton and soon swapped Division Two for the Premiership.

During his nine-year spell on Merseyside, Moyes brought a 16-year-old Wayne Rooney into the first team and into the eyes of the world and, from 2006/07 to 2012/13, steered the Toffees to seven straight top-eight finishes, as well as reaching the 2008/09 FA Cup final, which they lost 2-1 to Chelsea.

In the summer of 2013, he was given the unenviable task of replacing Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United, but lasted less than 12 months of the six-year deal he signed and was sacked in April 2014.

A year in La Liga with Real Sociedad followed, where he won only 12 of his 42 games in charge, before he returned to England with Sunderland. It was just eight victories from 43 matches there, with his spell ending in the Black Cats’ relegation after a decade in the top flight.

Moyes was handed a six-month deal to take over at West Ham in November 2017 and tasked with securing survival after the sacking of Slaven Bilić, which he did. However, his contract was not extended in the summer and he departed London Stadium after 31 games and a 29 per cent win ratio.

The Scot returned to east London in December 2019 and was in charge of the Hammers until the end of the 2023/24 season, when his contract was not renewed.

He oversaw the historic Europa Conference League win in 2022/23 and left with the highest win percentage of the club's permanent managers, with 44.59 across 231 games in his second spell.

After a short spell away from the game, Moyes returned to Everton on a two-and-a-half year contract on 11 January. The 61-year-old managed his 700th Premier League game earlier this month, with only Sir Alex Ferguson (810) and Arsène Wenger (828) managing more.

The Gameplan

With Sky Sports' Ben Grounds

Sky Sports' Ben Grounds explains how David Moyes is likely to set up his side to take on Brentford on Wednesday evening.

"Jake O'Brien has been the big winner since Moyes' appointment, replacing Ashley Young at right-back," said Grounds.

"His inclusion has added to Everton's aerial potency at set-pieces, but the increased number of goals and shots per game since Sean Dyche's departure points to a brand of football that is far more than direct, dead balls.

"The early feature of his second coming was to move Iliman Ndiaye closer to Dominic Calvert-Lewin, and despite both now being replaced in the side due to injury, the message has still been to support and serve the central striker to address the meagre attacking output from the opening 19 games.

"Abdoulaye Doucouré and Carlos Alcaraz have both filled the void left by Ndiaye's ongoing rehabilitation from a medial ligament injury while Jesper Lindstrøm is improving with every game on the right flank, both in and out of possession.

"There were moments under [Sean] Dyche when the football had become unwatchable, but it is testament to Moyes' impact that the only difference in personnel is Alcaraz from the January window.

"There are shades of Manuel Fernandes' first loan spell in how quickly the Argentine has taken to life on Merseyside, with a touch of James Rodríguez about his eye for a pass.

"South American flare is often a necessary ingredient to bringing joy back to a football pitch, and Moyes has done it again it seems in finding an attainable gem.

"I would like to see James Garner continue his partnership alongside Idrissa Gueye in midfield, with Tim Iroegbunam and Young now familiar with their roles to see out games.

"Given the number of senior players missing, Moyes still has very few selection headaches beyond deciding which of Doucouré, Alcaraz and Jack Harrison he uses as an impact substitute behind Beto up front."

Last Premier League starting XI v Manchester United (4-2-3-1): Pickford; O'Brien, Tarkowski, Branthwaite, Mykolenko; Garner, Gueye; Lindstrøm, Doucouré, Harrison; Beto

Read our full interview with Ben Grounds here

Team News

Bees dealt Nørgaard blow

Brentford head coach Thomas Frank provided an update on captain Christian Nørgaard ahead of Wednesday night's game against Everton.

The midfielder was withdrawn at half-time of Friday evening's 4-0 win at Leicester City.

“He is out with a concussion,” Frank revealed.

“He felt fine on the pitch [at King Power Stadium] but it got a bit worse at half-time, so we unfortunately had to sub him off. It was not a great challenge but that can happen.

“It’s the same squad [that was available for Leicester] except Christian.”

Sepp van den Berg (knee), Josh Dasilva (knee), Rico Henry (hamstring), Aaron Hickey (hamstring), Mathias Jensen (adductor), Gustavo Nunes (back) and Igor Thiago (joint infection) are also sidelined for Everton’s visit to Gtech Community Stadium.

Match Officials

Hooper returns to Gtech for third time this term

Referee: Simon Hooper

Assistants: Adrian Holmes and Simon Long

Fourth official: John Busby

VAR: Alex Chilowicz

Simon Hooper will take charge of Wednesday evening's Premier League game against Everton.

The 42-year-old has been the man in the middle for two Bees home fixtures so far this term - September's 1-1 draw against West Ham and December's 4-2 win over Newcastle.

His most recent Premier League fixture was Liverpool's 2-1 win against Wolves at Anfield.

Last Meeting

Everton 0 Brentford 0 (Premier League, 23 November 2024)

Brentford marked their last-ever visit to Goodison Park with their first clean sheet and away point of the season.

Christian Nørgaard was dismissed late in the first half - a red card that was later rescinded - but the Bees held firm on Merseyside with Mark Flekken making a number of strong saves.

Yoane Wissa and Keane Lewis-Potter had good chances to win the game for the west Londoners either side of half-time but were denied by Toffees keeper Jordan Pickford.