Brentford’s head coach, Keith Andrews, anticipates a challenging decision-making process following their 2-0 victory over Bournemouth in the EFL Cup.
This win came after a 1-0 triumph against Aston Villa in the Premier League. Fabio Carvalho and Igor Thiago were instrumental in advancing Brentford to the competition’s third round. Andrews rotated his squad, giving Frank Onyeka, Kristoffer Ajer, and Aaron Hickey their first starts of the season.
Brentford’s upcoming league match is against Sunderland, and Andrews believes many players have proven their value to the team. “We knew it would be a tough test for obvious reasons; it was probably as tough of a draw that we could’ve got away from home against a very good Premier League team,” said Andrews. He added that he wanted to use the squad this week because they deserved it.
The coach expressed satisfaction with the team’s performance, noting that it met his expectations. “It doesn’t really surprise me, to be honest; it’s what I fully expected; a performance to make me think about things going into the game against Sunderland,” he stated. The players showed outstanding commitment and unity throughout the match.
Playing three full matches within a week posed challenges early in the season. However, Brentford displayed resilience and teamwork, continuing their solid form from the previous game against Villa. The team’s selfless approach was evident in how they played.
Sunderland faced disappointment as they exited the EFL Cup after losing 6-5 on penalties to Huddersfield Town. The match ended 1-1 after regular time, with Milan Aleksic missing the crucial penalty. Despite this setback, Sunderland manager Regis Le Bris found positives in Marc Guiu scoring his first goal for Sunderland.
Le Bris remarked on the importance of strikers scoring goals and highlighted Marc’s achievement as a confidence booster. “It wasn’t enough to win the game, but we gave many players valuable minutes, so it is a positive for the future,” said Le Bris.
Key Players to Watch
Eliezer Mayenda is one of Sunderland’s key players after scoring their first Premier League goal this season. He was rested during their EFL Cup defeat but has made only three passes in two league starts so far. This statistic marks him as having made the fewest passes since records began in 2003-04.
Dango Ouattara is another player to watch for Brentford after scoring on his debut against Villa. He aims to become Brentford’s first player to score in his initial two Premier League appearances for the club.
Match Prediction and History
The upcoming fixture between Sunderland and Brentford will be their first top-flight meeting since 1946-47 when Sunderland won both encounters. Historically, Sunderland has struggled against Brentford recently, failing to win any of their last five meetings across all competitions.
Brentford has excelled away from home this year with seven wins already, surpassing previous years’ totals. They have also won eight consecutive matches against newly promoted teams by an aggregate score of 28-6.
The Opta Win Probability suggests Brentford has a slight edge with a 38.7% chance of winning compared to Sunderland’s 33.2%. A draw stands at 28.2%. As both teams prepare for this encounter, fans can expect an exciting clash between these two sides.