Preview: Brentford vs Crystal Palace - prediction, team news, lineups

Brentford's late push for the Champions League continues on Sunday, when they welcome Crystal Palace to the Gtech Community Stadium in their penultimate Premier League game of the season.

Eighth-placed Brentford have 51 points, and they will need Brighton & Hove Albion and Bournemouth to drop points in order to secure Champions League football, while 15th-placed Palace have 55 points and can be forgiven for focusing on their upcoming Conference League final.

Match preview

The chances of Brentford playing in the Champions League are slim, as they would not only need to overcome the four point-gap to sixth-placed Bournemouth, but they would also need Aston Villa to finish fifth and win the Europa League.

Keith Andrews's side are only two points from seventh-placed Brighton, who occupy the Conference League spot, so European football should not be ruled out, though just three points separate them from 12th-placed Sunderland.

The head coach has arguably performed better than any manager in the Premier League this season considering many expected the club to go down after losing boss Thomas Frank in the summer, as well as stars Bryan Mbeumo, Yoane Wissa and Christian Norgaard.

Brentford have stumbled of late given they have drawn five, lost two and won just one of their last eight in the top flight, and a loss on the weekend would be their third in four games.

In that eight-match stretch, the hosts failed to find the back of the net on four occasions, though they also managed to keep four clean sheets.

Brentford's displays at the Gtech have not been particularly exciting considering they have triumphed just once in their past seven Premier League fixtures at the stadium, but they are at least unbeaten in four games at home, with the club winning 3-0 against West Ham United on May 2.

Crystal Palace are at no risk of demotion as their points tally of 44 is eight more than 18th-placed West Ham United, though their survival has more to do with the fact the teams around them have consistently dropped points.

The Eagles are in fact winless in five Premier League contests, with their 3-0 defeat against Manchester City on Wednesday their third loss in that period.

It was also the third time in four league games that they conceded at least three goals, and they failed to find the back of the net in three of their past five in the top flight.

Oliver Glasner's side managed to get the better of Brentford when they faced each other at Selhurst Park in November 2025, winning 2-0 thanks to a Jean-Philippe Mateta strike and an own goal from Nathan Collins.

Palace's record on the road has been poor considering they have suffered defeats in each of their three most recent away trips in the Premier League.

Brentford Premier League form:

Crystal Palace Premier League form:

Crystal Palace form (all competitions):

Team News

Brentford's squad is largely available, which means forwards Igor Thiago, Kevin Schade and Dango Ouattara should all be ready to start.

Mikkel Damsgaard is likely to be trusted as a number 10, especially as Fabio Carvalho is still absent, and the Danish international may be positioned ahead of midfielders Yehor Yarmoliuk and Mathias Jensen.

Nathan Collins has been impressive at the back this season, and Sepp van den Berg is the most likely candidate to partner him in the middle of a back four.

Though Glasner will have two eyes on Palace's Conference League final on May 27, it could be sensible to give his starters minutes on Sunday in order to maintain their fitness.

That could mean that the likes of Adam Wharton and Daichi Kamada are set to appear in the middle of the pitch, while Maxence Lacroix may be afforded a start in the backline.

Jean-Philippe Mateta will be searching for his 12th Premier League goal of the season, though his impact in the final third will depend on the service he gets from forwards Ismaila Sarr and Yeremy Pino.

Brentford possible starting lineup:

Kelleher; Kayode, Van den Berg, Collins, Lewis-Potter; Yarmoliuk, Jensen; Ouattara, Damsgaard, Schade; Thiago

Crystal Palace possible starting lineup:

Henderson; Richards, Lacroix, Canvot; Munoz, Wharton, Kamada, Mitchell; Sarr, Mateta, Pino

We say: Brentford 2-1 Crystal Palace

Brentford have much more to lose on Sunday than the visitors, and while they have struggled for form, their opponents have not been at their best domestically.

Crystal Palace are also likely to make several key changes during the match, and there focus on Europe could allow Brentford to take advantage.

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