Brentford FC vs Southampton FC, English Premier League 2024-25, Today Match Prediction

Brentford FC vs Southampton FC Match Prediction & Analysis

In what is expected to be a low-key affair, Brentford will take on Southampton in round three of the English Premier League 2024–25 at Brentford Community Stadium in London. The upcoming clash will only be the fifth meeting between the teams in the league. 

 Both sides enter the upcoming encounter having suffered defeats in their previous games, one away and one at home. Brentford, who had won their opening encounter against Crystal Palace (2-1), was defeated by Liverpool 0-2 at Anfield. 

Southampton, on the other hand, succumbed to their second consecutive 0-1 loss of the season after conceding a goal in the 70th minute to Nottingham Forest. The Saints' tiny margin of defeat may give them some respite and some hope for the rest of the season. 

 In the points table, at present, Brentford are placed 13th with three points, while Southampton are languishing at 16th with no points. 

TEAMS PREVIEW

Brentford FC Preview

Anfield is one of the most daunting stadiums in the world, and it's difficult to play there as an away team, especially for a team that lacks the firepower to challenge the home team. As expected, the Bees were completely outplayed, but they deserve credit for keeping the goals to two.

 Despite a difficult experience at Anfield, there were some positives that helped them narrow the margin of defeat. The most important takeaways from Brentford's match against Liverpool were the performances of goalkeeper Mark Flekken (6 saves), centre back Nathan Collins (6 blocked shots, 2 clearances, and a perfect record in duels), and, of course, the 'goalpost' (blocked two sure shot goals) that came to the team's rescue on occasion. 

With ambiguity surrounding Ivan Tony's transfer, once again, the striker is expected to be left out, as he has been in the previous two matches. As a result, the Bees will rely largely on Bryan Mbeumo last season's MVP with nine goals and six assists and Yoane Wissa, both of whom have already scored goals in the opening game. registered goals in the opening match. 

In the game against Liverpool, Thomas Frank preferred a 4-4-2 formation; however, he is expected to resort back to his preferred 4-3-3 setup against a team that will look to defend throughout the game. As far as injuries go, full-backs Aaron Hickey and Rico Henry are likely to miss out once more.

Brentford Starting Lineup -  Flekken (GK), Ajer, Pinnock, Collins, Roerslev (Defenders); Jensen, Norgaard, Janelt (Midfielders); Mbeumo, Wissa, Kevin Schade(Forwards) 

Southampton FC Preview

Southampton (Saints), managed by Russell Martin and just promoted through the EFL Championship playoffs, have had a difficult start to the season, as many expected. Despite the fact that they did not enter those matches as favourites, Russell and his team would have been extremely disappointed with the results, given that they had good chances to pick up points in both games.

In their opening match against Newcastle United, the Bees failed to make the most of a team reduced to ten men, while they lost to Nottingham despite dominating possession (65%), as they managed an xG of 0.14 while the Nots had an xG of 2.45. Worse, they didn't create any big chances and managed only one shot on target. Their offensive struggles are exacerbated by the fact that they have only attempted five shots on goal in these two games. 

Meanwhile, the offence's troubles should come as no surprise, given Adam Armstrong's lacklustre performance in the first two games. Armstrong, who led the Saints in the EFL Championship with 24 goals and five assists, has taken only three shots in two games. It also doesn't help that the Saints lost their second-leading goal scorer from the previous season during the summer transfer window. Nonetheless, the Saints have added Cameron Archer and Beretron Diaz as reinforcements, and they will be expected to perform better in future games.  

For the first two matches, Russell Martin has shown an inclination to use the 3-5-2 formation, but it seems to have affected Armstrong's performance, given that much of the success he had last season was in a 4-3-3 formation. Maybe it's time that Russell went back to a 4-3-3 build-up. 

Southampton Starting Lineup -  McCarthy (Goalkeeper); Sugawara, Harwood-Bellis, Bednarek, Stephens, Walker-Peters (Defenders) ; Downes, Smallbone, Aribo (Midfielders); Brereton Díaz, Armstrong (Forwards) 

BRENTFORD FC vs SOUTHAMPTON FC
Winning Prediction

Brentford has dominated their rivalry with Southampton, winning three consecutive matches with clean sheets. Southampton, despite defensive improvements, has struggled to contain Brentford's attack. Expect Brentford to continue their winning streak and secure their second victory of the season.

Brentford to Win (2-1)

1xBet

330% up to ₹65,000 on your 1st Deposit with Reg Code: TOPBK

BET NOW