Brentford and Crystal Palace are separated by just two points in the Premier League table as the they prepare to do battle at Brentford Community Stadium on Saturday.
A dismal run of results has seen Brentford slip to fourteenth. That means they find themselves just six points clear of the relegation zone.
🔴⚪ Red and White Army 🔴⚪Fantastic backing a long way from home 👏👏#BrentfordFC #MCIBRE pic.twitter.com/GlVLMCXEKl— Brentford FC (@BrentfordFC) February 10, 2022
🔴⚪ Red and White Army 🔴⚪Fantastic backing a long way from home 👏👏#BrentfordFC #MCIBRE pic.twitter.com/GlVLMCXEKl
As for Crystal Palace, they have dropped to thirteenth place – two points clear of Brentford and eight points outside the bottom three.
Brentford were beaten 2-0 by Manchester City on Wednesday, meaning they have lost each of their previous five Premier League games.
To make matters worse, they have lost seven of their last eight league outings and have won just two of their previous 11.
Having conceded a whopping 14 goals across their last five defeats, Thomas Frank’s side now have the fifth-worst defensive record in the division.
If they carry on the way they’re going, they could find themselves in a relegation battle – especially if the likes of Newcastle and Norwich continue to pick up positive results.
On the flip side, Crystal Palace were held to a 1-1 draw by Norwich City in midweek – despite seeing 72% possession and facing just a single shot on target.
Wilfried Zaha canceled out Teemu Pukki’s early goal with a stunning long-range effort, but the Ivorian missed from the penalty spot late on.
The Eagles have failed to win any of their last four league matches, recording two draws and two losses since their last victory.
They have also managed to win just one of their previous seven Premier League encounters, keeping a solitary clean sheet along the way.
Head-to-head: August’s reverse fixture saw Brentford and Crystal Palace meet for the first time since 1977 – that's 44 years! After all that time, the two sides played out a goalless draw.
The team have face each other 39 times over the years. Brentford have recorded 14 wins, Palace have record 17, with the other eight gams ending in a draw.
Team news: Brentford will be hoping that star strike Ivan Toney is fit enough to face Palace. Mathias Jorgensen, Tarique Fosu and Julian Jeanvier are all still injured.
The Eagles will be without the injured Nathan Ferguson on Saturday. Cheikhou Kouyate could return to the team after helping Senegal to win the Africa Cup of Nations.
With both sides aiming to avoid falling into a relegation battle, Saturday’s clash is destined to be a tense affair.
For that reason, Forebet predicts that Brentford and Crystal Palace will play out a goalless draw.