Will the Bees rob the league leaders of their set-piece strength?
The Gunners have suffered only one defeat so far in the current Premier League season (0-1 vs. Liverpool). Even in the event of a surprise defeat and victories for their direct rivals, the home side cannot be knocked off the top of the table in the Arsenal vs. Brentford tip.
Mikel Arteta and his team continue to be characterized by two special factors: incredible stability in defense and outstanding skills from set pieces – both offensively and defensively. In our Arsenal vs. Brentford prediction, however, things will still be complicated for the hosts.
Keith Andrews has been on the Brentford FC bench since this season. This is the Irishman’s first job as head coach of a professional team in top-flight soccer. The 45-year-old has done a brilliant job so far and ranks fifth in the league in terms of expected points (21.6 xPTS).
The visitors excel in many advanced statistics and, like Arsenal, shine in set pieces. No other club in the English top flight has conceded fewer expected goals from set pieces than the Bees (2.14 Set Piece xGA). This could potentially take away one of the home side’s strengths.
So far, the Gunners have scored ten goals from set pieces – 40 percent of their 25 goals this season. This opens up the option of looking for Arsenal vs. Brentford odds for “under 2.5 goals in the game” in sports betting apps.
Arsenal – Brentford Head-to-head comparison / H2H record
Of the seven previous Premier League matches against Brentford, Arteta’s team has not lost a single game (5W, 2D). However, the current league leaders could only manage a 1-1 draw in last season’s home game. Furthermore, the following stands out: Four of the last six matches between Arsenal and Brentford have seen a maximum of two goals scored per game.
On the upcoming matchday, two luminaries of set pieces will face each other. Arsenal (8.01 set piece xG) and the Bees (6.52 set piece xG) are absolute specialists in offensive set pieces. The same applies to defending against opposing attacks from set pieces. Here, the home side (2.45 set piece xGA) and Andrews’ team (2.14 set piece xGA) are the undisputed leaders.
Arsenal – Brentford Tip
The Bees are said to have a certain weakness in away games this season. Brentford have lost five of their six away games in the English top flight so far. However, this misery should not be overrated. After all, Keith Andrews’ team have conceded less than 1.0 expected goals in five of their last seven league games.
Arsenal have only exceeded 1.0 expected goals conceded on one matchday this season. In their opening game against Manchester United, Arteta’s side conceded 1.5 xGA. Since then, they have never conceded more than 0.9 expected goals.
We expect both teams to play at an extremely high level, with tactical sophistication and smart decisions on the field. Above all, the visitors stand out for their ability to avoid mistakes. No team in the league has conceded fewer shots as a result of individual errors than Brentford (4). The Gunners make few mistakes anyway, and when they do, it’s usually in harmless areas.
