Arsenal welcome London rivals Brentford to the Emirates Stadium this evening.
Mikel Arteta and his players are in good mood and have one foot in the Champions League semi-finals after stunning Real Madrid 3-0 in North London. With the second leg at the Bernabeu in mind, the Spanish manager is likely to rotate and offer some key players a rest.
Bukayo Saka has just returned from a lengthy injury layoff so his minutes may be monitored. Likewise, Jurrien Timber has dealt with fitness struggles in recent weeks and may be replaced by Ben White this weekend.
🔴 𝗠𝗔𝗧𝗖𝗛𝘿𝘼𝙔 ⚪️
🆚 Brentford
🕠 5.30pm (UK)
🏆 Premier League
🏟️ Emirates Stadium pic.twitter.com/ypDqcJcE8T— Arsenal (@Arsenal) April 12, 2025
Tuesday night’s hero Declan Rice has been passed fit despite being forced off the field with a knock. Riccardo Calafiori is nearing a return from a knee injury, but the weekend’s action comes too soon for the Italian.
There are hopes among the medical staff that Kai Havertz could feature again this season. The initial prognosis on the German’s hamstring injury was season-ending, but he is currently ahead of schedule.
It is consecutive London derbies for Brentford following their 0-0 draw with Chelsea last weekend.
Manager Thomas Frank revealed there was no fresh injury news to report in his pre-match press conference. Aaron Hickey, Igor Thiago and Gustavo Nunes are all progressing in their recoveries with the latter being the closest of the trio. A shoulder injury is expected to prevent Fabio Carvalho from featuring again this season.
Arsenal vs Brentford – Match preview and team news
Form
Arsenal: DWWDW
A virtuoso performance from Declan Rice helped Arsenal demolish reigning European champions Real Madrid in midweek.
Two unstoppable free-kicks from the Englishman and a smart finish from Mikel Merino give the Gunners a three-goal advantage heading into the second leg on Wednesday.
Domestically, their hopes of lifting the Premier League title are diminishing by the week. League leaders Liverpool have an 11-point cushion over the Gunners heading into the closing stages of the season.
Furthermore, Nottingham Forest are only trailing them by five points, so finishing second in the league is far from certain. Arsenal have only lost at home on one occasion this season, against West Ham in February.
Brentford: DLWLD
The Bees slipped into 12th position in the Premier League after dropping points at home to West London neighbours Chelsea on Sunday.
It continued Brentford’s lack of consistency, which has been a perpetual theme throughout the campaign.
Since recording two convincing away victories over West Ham and Leicester, Thomas Frank’s outfit have only triumphed once in their last five outings.
At the start of the season, Brentford made the Gtech Community Stadium a fortress. However, the once rigid walls have since come crumbling down. They haven’t won at home in all competitions since the 7th of December, some nine ...
