Brentford vs Leeds United – Confirmed Teams, Preview | OneFootball

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Brentford host Leeds United this afternoon in a fixture where the result might seem like a foregone conclusion. Brentford have lost only once at home, a narrow 1-0 defeat to Manchester City in October, while Leeds have lost all their away fixtures bar the 3-1 win at Molineux at strugglers Wolves in September.

Daniel Farke though has found a lot of joy in the past week after a shift to a 3-5-2 formation. Farke surprised positively with the tactical shift and has duly reaped the rewards with statement results against Chelsea and Liverpool. The performances have prompted a former Leeds boss to insist that the Whites players are playing for their boss.

A former Premier League manager has claimed that Leeds status as a top-division club will hinge upon results at Elland Road, indirectly handing them a free pass for their away games. But Farke will know the pressure that entails and consequently, understand intimately the duress Keith Andrews will face ahead of home fixtures, with the Bees having a strikingly similar away record to the Whites, as they have lost all their away games other than a win against West Ham United in October.

Brentford and Andrews will know that it is their home form that is keeping them afloat and any slip-ups at the Gtech Community Stadium will push them towards the relegation zone.

The pressure on Farke’s shoulders have alleviated somewhat after last week and he will know that this game is a proverbial six-pointer, as he has the opportunity to not only give his side further cushion above the relegation spots, but also hand another competitor around the drop zone a hammer blow to their confidence.

Leeds are also looking to avoid becoming the first Premier League side to lose nine Sunday matches on the trot, while they have already lost their previous nine matches in the capital. Brentford are looking to avoid losing three in a row for the first time since February 2024, after a pair of 2-0 defeats to Arsenal and Tottenham and the Bees have never gone three consecutive games without scoring.

Brentford will be without the suspended Kevin Schade, but Reiss Nelson is expected to be back.

Substitutes

Brentford: Valdimarsson, Henry, Pinnock, Onyeka, Yarmoliuk, Ajer, Damsgaard, Peart-Harris, Donovan

Leeds United: Darlow, Byram, Justin, Bornauw, Gruev, Harrison, Aaronson, Gnonto, Piroe

Recent Form (league)

Brentford: LLWLW Leeds United: DWLLL

Key Men

Brentford

Jordan Henderson’s experience will be vital to control the tempo of the game and reduce the effectiveness of Leeds’ direct style.

Dango Ouattara, the top assister for the Bees, will want to give the home fans a parting gift before he heads off for the Africa Cup of Nations with Burkina Faso.

Igor Thiago is hot on the heels of Erling Haaland in the Premier League scorers chart. Thiago has scored a penalty in each of his last three home games and if he manages to repeat the feat, he will be the only player other than Dion Dublin in 1997/98 for Coventry and James Beattie in 2002 for Southampton to do so.

Leeds United

Dominic Calvert-Lewin has scored in three consecutive games and can become the first Englishman since Michael Bridges in 1999/00 to score four in a row for Leeds.

Joe Rodon, dubbed a ‘warrior’ by Farke, has achieved a goal set by his manager to improve his attacking output, and has two goals this season. Any contributions from Rodon might be vital from set-piece situations.

Farke has managed to fix one of his side’s issues by finding goals and they have done so with style, scoring eight goals against Manchester City, Chelsea and Liverpool. Farke has a chance to guide Leeds to three consecutive games of scoring three plus goals for the first time since 2001.

Match Prediction

Leeds have a chance to make it nervy for Brentford with their current form. The Whites have to make any period of dominance count, as they will know that Brentford will not need a second invite, especially at home, to take a stranglehold of the fixture.

Brentford are likely to prevail, but Leeds might very easily frustrate them, with the Bees coming off back-to-back defeats.

Farke will know that for all his side’s improvement, they have only four points to show for their efforts and that come the end of the season, all that will matter will be the points they put on the board.

How the forwards fare, Thiago for Brentford and Calvert-Lewin for Leeds, is likely to decide the outcome of what might be a tight fixture.

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