Arsenal face another London derby tonight with the visit of the Bees, just days after a taxing and frustrating 1-1 draw against 10-man Chelsea saw them drop points for the second time in three Premier League games. That has left the door open for Manchester City to close the gap, which now stands at just two points after a remarkable 5-4 win away at Fulham last night.
The Gunners will have few worries of re-establishing a five-point lead come 9.30pm tonight, though, having won their last seven games in a row at the Emirates Stadium. Brentford have never won at the ground, in any competition, with the sole victory at the Gunners coming way back in 1938. Martin Odegaard is ready to return, bolstering Mikel Arteta’s attacking options.
However, Brentford have impressed plenty this season under Keith Andrews - in his first managerial role - and have already claimed some big scalps this season with wins over Aston Villa, Newcastle and Liverpool, and also held Chelsea to a draw. Follow the game LIVE below with our dedicated match blog, featuring expert insight and analysis from Simon Collings and Sam Tabuteau at the Emirates Stadium.
Arsenal vs Brentford latest news
- Kick-off: 7.30pm GMT, Emirates Stadium
- How to watch: Sky Sports
- Early Arsenal team news
- Early Brentford team news
- Score prediction
Arteta on Kayode's 'massive throw-in weapon'
17:40 , Alex Young“They certainly have that weapon like Stoke had and like other teams are trying to build as well, because obviously of the difficulty, because of the organisation of the teams, to score goals and to produce big chances.
“It is decreasing and they have that opportunity every time the ball goes out of play.
“Normally I was more outside the box [defending long throws] because of my size, so I was lucky I didn’t have to compete for the first ball. It is a very chaotic situation, it is very difficult to predict what is going to happen.”
Arteta reveals new way Rice can become even bigger threat
17:33 , Alex YoungMikel Arteta has backed Declan Rice to become a long-throw expert - in the same way he has mastered set-pieces.
Rice’s set-piece threat has evolved this season to the extent that he is now taking long throws for Arsenal.
His prowess does not compare to that of Brentford’s Michael Kayode - more on that shortly - but Arteta believes he can become a real threat.
“Everything has to evolve,” said the Arsenal boss. “I don’t know how good he was a year ago, or two years ago, or three years ago.
“I know how good Declan was at taking set-pieces three or four years ago, and I know how good he is now.
“So, it does not happen overnight. Things have to be trained, evolved and tweaked. And the player has to believe as well, which is key.
“He can become anything he wants. When you look at Declan, he can do almost everything you require him to do.”
Why Arsenal have Odegaard back from injury at an ‘ideal’ time
17:26 , Alex YoungIt has so far been a frustrating season for Martin Odegaard.
The Arsenal captain has been dogged by injuries to the extent that he has played just 237 minutes in the Premier League.
Two shoulder injuries and a knee issue have kept Odegaard on the sidelines but he is fit again and could make his first start in two months against Brentford tonight.
The Norwegian has been itching to return - using an anti-gravity running machine to speed up his rehabilitation - and is eager to make up for lost time.
“I guess that’s one of the good signs about being injured,” said Odegaard. “You get more hungry and more excited to play football again. That’s the good part of it, I’m desperate to get going again.”
In Odegaard’s absence, others have stepped up. Eberechi Eze, in particular, has excelled in midfield and scored a hat-trick against Tottenham in last month’s north London derby.
For the first time in his Arsenal career, Odegaard has genuine competition and it means his return from injury has been carefully managed.
The 26-year-old played nine minutes off the bench against Bayern Munich last Wednesday, before getting over half an hour under his belt at Chelsea at the weekend.
The next step is for Odegaard to start and tonight feels like the ideal make that jump.
Read more from Simon Collings here!
Early Brentford team news
17:20 , Alex YoungBrentford have been sweating over the fitness of Igor Thiago ahead of tonight, with a late decision expected over his involvement.
The striker was taken off in stoppage time at the end of Brentford’s 3-1 win over Burnley and Keith Andrews said he would undergo a late fitness test.
The 24-year-old was withdrawn as a precaution against Burnley, with Andrews admitting he was dealing with a few knocks.
"We've got a couple of knocks and bruises," Andrews told reporters. "But you get that from a game like the one we had at the weekend.
"We've got a couple of bits and bobs that we'll have to decide on but, in the main, we're in a good place."
Meanwhile Josh Dasilva, Fabio Carvalho and Antoni Milambo remain long-term absentees.
Reiss Nelson, who is on loan from Arsenal, is unavailable to play against his parent club.
Midfielder Yehor Yarmoliuk is expected to come back in to the team after being benched against Burnley.
Early Arsenal team news
17:12 , Alex YoungMartin Odegaard is in line to make his first start in two months tonight.
The captain has come off the bench in Arsenal’s last two games against Bayern Munich and Chelsea, getting 42 minutes under his belt.
Mikel Arteta could make further changes to his side, after three huge games, though he is short of options in defence with Gabriel out with a thigh injury and William Saliba struggling with a knock that forced him to miss the Chelsea game.
Leandro Trossard is also a doubt due to a calf injury, so Gabriel Martinelli or Noni Madueke are primed to come in on the left flank, although Eberechi Eze could move out there.
Viktor Gyokeres is back in contention to start, although Mikel Merino has performed well in his absence and so could keep his place.
How to watch Arsenal vs Brentford
17:05 , Alex YoungTV channel: In the UK, the game will be televised live on Sky Sports. Coverage starts at 6.30pm GMT on Sky Sports Main Event ahead of kick-off at 7.30pm.
Live stream: Sky Sports subscribers can also catch the contest live online via the Sky Go app.
Free highlights: The Sky Sports app and YouTube channel will show highlights shortly after the game with Match of the Day broadcasting on BBC One at 10.40pm GMT.
Welcome
16:59 , Alex YoungGood evening and welcome to the London Standard’s LIVE coverage of the Premier League clash between Arsenal and Brentford.
It’s another London derby for the Gunners, who were slightly off the boil in a 1-1 draw with 10-man Chelsea at the weekend.
They have since seen their lead at the top cut to two points, despite Fulham’s valiant efforts against Manchester City last night
Brentford have impressed so far this season - could they continue that trend tonight? Kick-off is at the earlier time of 7.30pm. Stick with us.
