2 Brentford vs 1 Crystal Palace
Palace boss Oliver Glasner speaks ahead of Brentford clash.
Brentford vs. Crystal Palace kicks off at 14:00 on Sunday, August 18 at the Gtech Community Stadium, with Brentford aiming to rebound from a tough season and Crystal Palace seeking to build on last season's late surge under Oliver Glasner.
Brentford
The Bees will begin their Premier League campaign on Sunday with a game against Palace on home soil. They aim to improve on last season's disappointing 16th-place finish, which was hampered by injuries and the unavailability of their prized asset, Ivan Toney, following a lengthy ban.
"The main thing last season was that we had too many injuries. A lot of them are now in a good place," Thomas Frank said in a pre-match press conference. Following Toney’s return, Brentford boss Thomas Frank is looking forward to a much better season.
"The fresh news is that he trained out there with a big smile on his face - he looks sharp, with a good attitude, and is available for Sunday," Frank added. Brentford also invested in new additions, signing Igor Thiago from Club Brugge for €33 million and Fábio Carvalho from Liverpool for €23 million.
Mixed fortunes in pre-season indicate Brentford might still have some work to do defensively, having conceded at least one goal in every fixture. They will be keen to keep a clean sheet in Sunday’s opener, but Brentford remain winless in six Premier League games against Crystal Palace [0W, 5D, 1L].
A 4-3-3 formation with new arrival Fábio Carvalho, Ivan Toney, and Bryan Mbeumo in attack is expected. However, as many as four players, including Joshua Dasilva, Rico Henry, and Aaron Hickey, will be unavailable for Brentford.
Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace will be looking to continue the positive strides seen late into last season, following the arrival of Oliver Glasner in February 2024. This time around, the Austrian will have the opportunity of a full season with the Eagles.
However, he will be without Michael Olise, who put pen to paper for a switch to FC Bayern Munich after €53 million switched accounts. Daichi Kamada arrived on a free transfer from Lazio, while Ismaïla Sarr joined the club following a €15 million transfer fee.
This Sunday, Palace will be hoping the additions make a difference when they face Brentford in the first game of the season. A win here will see Palace pick up successive victories over the Bees for the first time since 1957, following a 3-1 win back in December last year.
"I think, since I'm here, we didn't play against Brentford. I know it's a very good team, well organised," Oliver Glasner said. "They switch from a back four to a back three with five players high, playing very quick in behind, and having a lot of runs." Glasner, who is poised to deploy a 4-2-3-1 with Odsonne Édouard in attack, said ahead of Sunday’s clash.
Team form
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Team Comparison
Side-by-side assessment of team statistics, including goals, attacks, and more. This allows you to directly compare key performance metrics. Analyzing these stats can reveal patterns and strengths that might influence the outcome.