Brentford host Tottenham in the Premier League this afternoon with the aim of moving into the top half of the table.
The Bees hope to build on a 2-1 victory over Crystal Palace when they welcome the struggling Spurs and Thomas Frank’s side know three points would lift them above Brighton into 10th. Bryan Mbeumo is in a rich vein of form with four goals and an assist from his last five league outings and could cause serious issues for Tottenham’s makeshift defence.
Ange Postecoglou is under increased pressure to turn around Tottenham’s league form with Spurs on a three-game losing streak. They are down to 16th in the table and are juggling an ever-growing list of injuries which doesn’t help matters. Radu Dragusin is the latest defender to pick up a knock though Tottenham were given a boost by the return of Micky van de Ven for their Europa League win over Elfsborg during the week.
Follow all the Premier League action with our live blog below:
Brentford vs Tottenham LIVE
-
Brentford host Tottenham in the Premier League with kick off at 2pm | Live on Sky Sports Main Event
-
Brentford XI: Valdimarsson: Ajer, Collins, Van den Berg, Lewis-Potter; Norgaard, Janelt, Damsgaard; Schade, Mbeumo, Wissa
-
Tottenham XI: Kinsky: Pedro Porro, Gray, Davies, Spence; Bissouma, Bentancur; Kulusevski, Moore, Son; Richarlison
-
Thomas Frank’s men can move into top half of table with victory
-
Spurs have lost last three league games and sit 16th in table
Brentford FC 0 – 0 Tottenham Hotspur FC
Brentford 0-0 Tottenham
14:27
26 mins
No shots on target for either side yet, but that doesn’t tell the whole story of the game.
Norgaard produces a lovely spin on the edge of the box to make some space for a shot, but his touch was just too heavy and it’s cleared.
Brentford 0-0 Tottenham
14:24 , Chris Wilson
23 mins
Some great defending initially as Gray heads away Mbeumo’s cross, before Janelt swings in another cross that Wissa heads over.
Brentford 0-0 Tottenham
14:22 , Chris Wilson
21 mins
Another great chance for Spurs as they work the ball wide to Spence, who cuts back a great cross, and Richarlison sees his shot blocked.
The attack breaks down as Kulusevski sees his follow-up effort blocked.
Brentford 0-0 Tottenham
14:20 , Chris Wilson
18 mins
Both sides are just missing that bit of quality in the final pass at the moment, with Djed Spence overhitting one moments before a Brentford attack breaks down.
A minute later, Schade does brilliantly to take it past Porro, but he can’t squeeze a shot past Archie Gray.
Brentford 0-0 Tottenham
14:17 , Chris Wilson
15 mins
A hopeful long ball forward is taken down well by Wissa, who ships it to Damsgaard before the Dane’s cross is just behind Schade.
Brentford have started in a more promising manner, but it’s the visitors who’ve had the best chance so far.
Brentford 0-0 Tottenham
14:13 , Chris Wilson
12 mins
CLOSE! Kinsky takes a poor touch and then hits a pass straight to Schade. Brentford work it to Mbeumo on the wing, and his cross is close to being converted by Wissa, who heads over.
Brentford 0-0 Tottenham
14:12 , Chris Wilson
11 mins
Spurs are looking more assured on the ball now, though it hasn’t yet clicked in attack, with Kulusevski putting too much on a through ball towards Moore.
Brentford 0-0 Tottenham
14:09 , Chris Wilson
8 mins
Neither side is taking it slow at the Gtech, with Brentford’s latest attack exploiting the Spurs high line before Schade wins a corner.
Brentford 0-0 Tottenham
14:07 , Chris Wilson
6 mins
CLOSE! An opening for Spurs there, as Kulusevski receives the ball near the edge of the box. He drives into the area and scuffs a shot which ends up as a promising cross towards the back post, but Richarlison narrowly misses getting a foot to it.
Brentford 0-0 Tottenham
14:05 , Chris Wilson
4 mins
Brentford have dominated possession in the opening exchanges too, with Spurs looking a little nervous in possession and in defence.
Brentford 0-0 Tottenham
14:04 , Chris Wilson
2 mins
A pretty fast-paced opening couple of minutes, with Mikkel Damsgaard fluffing his shot in the box to spurn a promising opening early on.
KICK-OFF! Brentford 0-0 Tottenham
14:01 , Chris Wilson
The home side get us underway in west London.
Brentford vs Tottenham LIVE
13:56 , Chris Wilson
Both sides are in the tunnel at the Gtech! We’ll be underway soon.
Brentford’s big threat
13:50 , Mike Jones
Bryan Mbeumo has scored 14 goals in his past 17 top-flight London derbies.
Spurs’ slip ups
13:45 , Mike Jones
Tottenham have lost 21 points from winning positions this season, more than any other side prior to the latest round of matches.
Six defeats in a row?
13:41 , Mike Jones
The last time Tottenham lost five consecutive top-flight fixtures was during a run of six defeats in 2004, with Jacques Santini and Martin Jol each taking charge of three of those games.
Damsgaard on brink of Brentford record
13:35 , Mike Jones
Mikel Damsgaard has eight Premier League assists this season, one shy of an outright record for a Brentford player in a single campaign.
An unwanted record for Ange
13:30 , Mike Jones
Ange Postecoglou could become the first Spurs boss to lose five consecutive league games since Ossie Ardiles, who oversaw seven straight defeats in 1994.
Academy graduates take centre stage as Tottenham progress in Europa League
13:25 , Mike Jones
First Tottenham goals for academy graduates Dane Scarlett, Damola Ajayi and Mikey Moore clinched a 3-0 win over Elfsborg and secured the club’s passage into the last 16 of the Europa League.
Spurs knew a point would likely secure a top-eight berth and help them avoid next month’s play-off phase, but Ange Postecoglou watched two unlikely figures come off the bench and earn a precious three points.
Academy graduates take centre stage as Tottenham progress in Europa League
Set piece strengths
13:20 , Mike Jones
Thomas Frank’s side have conceded two top-flight goals from set-pieces this season (excluding penalties), a joint low with Manchester City.
Spurs’ developing crisis
13:15 , Mike Jones
Tottenham have taken four points from the last 30 available.
They have been beaten in six of their last seven Premier League matches, losing each of the previous four.
Home woes for the Bees
13:10 , Mike Jones
Brentford are vying to win back-to-back league games for the first time since April.
The Bees are the Premier League’s 29-goal leading scorers at home this season but have lost four of their last five home matches in all competitions.
Brentford vs Tottenham
13:05 , Mike Jones
Tottenham are vying to complete their first league double against the Bees since joining the Football League in 1908.
Brentford vs Tottenham
13:00 , Mike Jones
Brentford have only won one of the seven Premier League meetings, with all three games at the Gtech Community Stadium drawn.
Postecoglou on Dragusin injury
12:55 , Mike Jones
Ange Postecoglou gave an update on centre-back Radu Dragusin.
The Tottenham boss said: “We’ll let it settle down and obviously get some more information over the weekend.
“He’s not available for this weekend at the moment and we just have to see the extent of it. It’s a knee, so we’ve got to let it settle down.
“There’s always concern when there’s a knee injury but we don’t know the extent.”
Tottenham line-up to face Brentford
12:48 , Mike Jones
Tottenham XI: Kinsky: Pedro Porro, Gray, Davies, Spence; Bissouma, Bentancur; Kulusevski, Moore, Son; Richarlison
Brentford line-up to face Tottenham
12:47 , Mike Jones
Brentford XI: Valdimarsson: Ajer, Collins, Van den Berg, Lewis-Potter; Norgaard, Janelt, Damsgaard; Schade, Mbeumo, Wissa
Frank on pressure Postecoglou is under
12:40 , Mike Jones
The Brentford manager also said he can relate to the pressure on Ange Postecoglou and explained how the manager must make the big calls.
Frank added: “I have massive respect for Ange. Speaking for myself, it is tough at times and feels like you’re carrying everything on your shoulders.
“It is always my final call, it’s the manager who stands there. That’s why I can definitely put myself in his place.
“He’s done very well to keep going and keep believing.
“Maybe, in one of his toughest moments, they will win a trophy, which will be massive for Tottenham. It could be one of those seasons where they suffer incredibly – and maybe they suffer even more – but they win a trophy.”
Thomas Frank on Tottenham’s crisis
12:35 , Mike Jones
Thomas Frank was asked what it will be like to face Tottenham today during their poor run of form.
“We were also hit very hard by injuries last year so, from that perspective, I understand the situation Ange is in now at Tottenham,” said the Bees boss.
“When results are also not going your way, that’s tough. They’re things we need to deal with as managers and I’m convinced that Ange is doing that well and he will get through it.
“He doesn’t need advice, but he just needs to trust his own processes and trust what he believes in, which he does – that’s the main thing.
“When we played Tottenham away earlier this season, we played a very, very good Tottenham team – I thought they were flying. When they hit their high level, they are very hard to play against.
“I expect a game between two teams that want to attack, so it could be open at times. We need to be the team that controls an open game, which is difficult.”
Bryan Mbeumo gets it right second time around as Brentford sting Crystal Palace
12:30 , Mike Jones
Bryan Mbeumo’s retaken penalty helped lift Brentford to a 2-1 victory over Crystal Palace in soggy conditions at Selhurst Park.
He clipped the post with an initial attempt but was given another chance after VAR determined Eagles captain Marc Guehi had encroached.
Mbeumo was on target with his second attempt, breaking the deadlock in the 66th minute, before Kevin Schade nodded in a second 10 minutes from time.
Bryan Mbeumo gets it right second time around as Brentford sting Crystal Palace
Brentford vs Tottenham prediction
12:25 , Mike Jones
Brentford might be the favourites as they are in good form and have home advantage in this Premier League clash but Tottenham have too much ability to continue their horrible run of form in the league.
Expect goals from both sides and an exciting conclusion to the game with Spurs edging it late in the day.
Brentford 1-2 Tottenham.
Tottenham early team news
12:20 , Mike Jones
Micky van de Ven is available for Tottenham but Radu Dragusin is out after hurting his knee in midweek. Djed Spence should return but Dominic Solanke, James Maddison, Cristian Romero and Destiny Udogie remain sidelined.
Predicted Tottenham XI: Kinsky; Porro, Van de Ven, Davies, Spence; Bissouma, Sarr, Bergvall; Son, Richarlison, Kulusevski
Brentford early team news
12:15 , Mike Jones
Kevin Schade and Christian Norgaard have been cleared to face Tottenham and Michael Kaoyde could make his debut after arriving from Fiorentina. Ethan Pinnock is also fit to return to the squad.
Predicted Brentford XI: Flekken; Roerslev, Van de Berg, Collins, Pinnock, Lewis-Potter; Norgaard, Jannelt, Damsgaard; Mbeumo, Wissa
What TV channel is it on?
12:10 , Mike Jones
It will be shown live on Sky Sports Main Event and Football, with coverage getting underway from 1pm.
If you’re not a Sky customer, you can grab a NOWTV Day Pass here to watch without a subscription.
We may earn commission from some of the links in this article, but we never allow this to influence our content. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.
When is Brentford vs Tottenham?
12:05 , Mike Jones
The Premier League fixture will kick off at 2pm GMT on Sunday 2 February.
Brentford vs Tottenham
12:00 , Mike Jones
Tottenham will be out to end their winless Premier League run as they travel across London to face Brentford.
Spurs have lost four top-flight games in a row, with just one win in their last 11 league fixtures, to plummet down the table.
But Ange Postecoglou’s side claimed a morale-boosting win over Elfsborg in the Europa League on Thursday.
Goals from Dane Scarlett, Damola Ajayi and Mikey Moore to secure qualification for the last-16 were a timely boost.
Brentford sit above Spurs in the table and should pose a tough test, with Thomas Frank’s side boasting a strong home record.
Good afternoon!
09:20 , Mike Jones
Welcome to The Independent’s coverage of today’s Premier League action as Brentford host Tottenham at the Gtech Community Stadium.
The Bees hope to back up a win versus Crystal Palace last time out with another strong performance against an underperforming Spurs side.
Ange Postecoglou’s men have lost their last three matches in the league and pressure continues to mount on the manager whose Tottenham team sit 16th in the table.
Defeat today would mean that relegation is a real possibility though Spurs’ seven-point cushion will be hard to cut down.
We’ll have all the team news, line-ups and updates from the match so stick with us as we build up to kick off at 2pm.
Read the full article here
