A London derby kicks off the 2024/25 Premier League season for Brentford and Crystal Palace, who lock horns at the Gtech Community Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
Brentford are embarking on their fourth successive season in the English top flight with innovator Thomas Frank still leading the Bees. However, they endured their worst Premier League finish to date last season after ending up 16th and flirted a little too closely with relegation for their liking.
Brentford haven't been shy in spending this summer with Igor Thiago and Fabio Carvalho moving to west London for big money, but Sunday's opponents Palace have been far more focused on retaining their best players than adding to their squad over the past two months.
The Eagles have already lost Michael Olise, with Marc Guehi and Joachim Andersen potentially next out the exit door. Providing they can keep the bulk of their stars at Selhurst Park, Oliver Glasner's side should be in for an exciting campaign given their late surge up the Premier League table in 2023/24. It all starts with a trip across the capital.
Here is 90min's guide to Brentford vs Crystal Palace.
Brentford vs Crystal Palace H2H Record (Last Five Games)
Current Form (all competitions)
Brentford | Crystal Palace |
|---|---|
Brentford 4-4 Wolfsburg - 09/08/24 | Crystal Palace 1-1 Nantes - 11/08/24 |
Watford 1-1 Brentford - 03/08/24 | Crystal Palace 3-1 West Ham - 04/08/24 |
Benfica 1-1 Brentford - 25/07/24 | Crystal Palace 3-1 Wolves - 01/08/24 |
AFC Wimbledon 2-5 Brentford - 20/07/24 | Crawley 3-6 Crystal Palace - 27/07/24 |
Brentford 2-4 Newcastle - 19/05/24 | Crystal Palace 1-1 Charlton - 19/07/24 |
Country | TV channel/live stream |
|---|---|
United Kingdom | Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Premier League, Sky Ultra HD, Sky GO, Sky GO Extra |
United States | fuboTV, nbcsports.com, NBC Sports App, Telemundo Deportes En Vivo, USA Network, Telemundo |
Canada | fuboTV |
After splashing £30m on Igor Thiago earlier in the transfer window, Brentford now face several months without him after he underwent knee surgery in late July. The Brazilian's injury means Ivan Toney will once again be the main goal-getter for the Bees.
Brentford are still without Aaron Hickey, Rico Henry and Josh Dasilva following long-term injuries, but there could be a debut for new £22.5m signing Carvalho after his move from Liverpool.
Brentford predicted lineup vs Crystal Palace (4-3-3): Flekken; Roerslev, Collins, Pinnock, Ajer; Norgaard, Janelt, Jensen; Mbeumo, Toney, Wissa.
After making it to the final of the 2024 Paris Olympics with France, Jean-Philippe Mateta will miss the beginning of the Premier League season. The Eagles will have to find an alternative source of goals against Brentford.
However, Glasner has a fully-fit squad otherwise, with new signings Daichi Kamada, Chadi Riad and Ismaila Sarr all in line to feature in some capacity at Brentford.
Adam Wharton, Eberechi Eze, Dean Henderson and Marc Guehi are all available after Euro 2024 campaigns with England, although the latter has been strongly linked with Newcastle United.
Crystal Palace predicted lineup vs Brentford (5-2-3): Henderson; Munoz, Andersen, Riad, Guehi, Mitchell; Wharton, Doucoure; Kamada, Edouard, Eze.
Crystal Palace are certainly a side that could surprise a few this season if they can maintain their 2023/24 end-of-season form, but they have endured a disjointed pre-season following international tournaments. As a result, they may make a slow start to the campaign.
It's unlikely to be an inspiring season for Brentford, who still lack serious quality across their backline and in midfield. However, they can be tricky opponents on home soil and may sneak a draw from the visit of the Eagles.