Preview: Brentford vs Tottenham Hotspur - prediction, team news, lineups

Thomas Frank will take his seat in the Gtech Community Stadium away dugout for the first time on New Year's Day, as he takes his Tottenham Hotspur side to visit old club Brentford in the Premier League.

The Lilywhites made light work of the Bees in North London a few weeks ago, but a more daunting assignment awaits the Europa League winners in Thursday's London derby reunion.

Match preview

Two weeks is a long time in football, as Tottenham's Archie Gray discovered in the best way during Spurs' final game of 2025, which took place two weeks on from the teenager's horror show against Nottingham Forest.

On his next away appearance in the top flight, the former Leeds United prospect nodded home the only goal for his side in a hard-fought 1-0 victory over London rivals Crystal Palace, becoming the youngest Englishman to score a top-flight goal for Spurs since Dele Alli almost a decade ago.

Gray's close-range winner snapped a sorry five-game winless run on the road for Frank's side - as well as a two-match losing run in the top flight - but it was not enough to lift them back into the top half of the Premier League rankings approaching the halfway point.

Nevertheless, victory at Selhurst Park reaffirmed Spurs' status as the joint-best Premier League team on the road this season - at the time of writing, only Arsenal and Aston Villa can match their total of 17 away points - but the New Year was as unhappy as it could have been for Spurs in 2025.

Indeed, the Lilywhites lost all four of their Premier League matches in January last season, but there will be no prizes for guessing who Tottenham's last top-flight win in the first month of the year came against.

Frank was at the Brentford helm when Tottenham triumphed 3-2 against the Bees on January 31, 2024, but his successor Keith Andrews can now take Thursday's hosts four points clear of their London rivals with victory in midweek.

Defying the doubters who tipped them for relegation at the start of the campaign, the West London outfit instead have Europe in their sights, moving to within three points of the top five by battering Bournemouth 4-1 in gameweek 18.

Writing a new chapter of Premier League history, the scintillating Kevin Schade became the first German player to score multiple Premier League hat-tricks in that encounter, as Andrews's men prolonged a particularly pleasing home sequence.

Indeed, Brentford have now won four and drawn one of their last five matches at the Gtech Community Stadium - scoring at least three goals in each of those victories - although they are without a clean sheet in nine home games since shutting out Aston Villa in August.

Andrews's men also put up little resistance in their 2-0 defeat to Spurs at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in December, and they lost by the same scoreline on home soil in February, meaning that they are yet to beat Tottenham Hotspur at home in the Premier League.

Brentford Premier League form:

Brentford form (all competitions):

Tottenham Hotspur Premier League form:

Tottenham Hotspur form (all competitions):

Team News

Tottenham's gritty triumph at Palace did not come without sacrifice, as Gray's fellow teenager Lucas Bergvall was withdrawn with an apparent groin injury, but Frank is optimistic that he will be fit for the derby.

However, seven men who are definitely missing for the visitors are Xavi Simons (suspended), Destiny Udogie (thigh), Dejan Kulusevski (knee), James Maddison (ACL), Dominic Solanke (ankle), Pape Sarr and Yves Bissouma (both AFCON), while Brennan Johnson may not be involved amid reports that Crystal Palace have agreed a £35m deal for the Welshman.

Joao Palhinha may therefore be first in line to replace the stricken Bergvall if the Swede is ruled out, but in brighter news, Cristian Romero is back from a ban and ready to displace Kevin Danso, in spite of the latter's standout display at Selhurst Park.

Brentford boss Andrews also faced the media on Tuesday, but he gave little away on defensive regular Sepp van den Berg, who missed the thrashing of Bournemouth due to a knock.

Long-term knee victims Fabio Carvalho, Josh Dasilva and Antoni Milambo are still on the road to recovery, though, while Dango Ouattara and Frank Onyeka are on duty at the Africa Cup of Nations.

An alleged Tottenham transfer target for the January window, Igor Thiago has now gone five games without finding the back of the net in the Premier League, although he did set up one of Schade's strikes last time out.

Brentford possible starting lineup:

Kelleher; Kayode, Ajer, Collins, Hickey; Yarmoliuk, Janelt; Lewis-Potter, Damsgaard, Schade; Thiago

Tottenham Hotspur possible starting lineup:

Vicario; Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Spence; Gray, Bentancur; Kudus, Bergvall, Kolo Muani; Richarlison

We say: Brentford 2-2 Tottenham Hotspur

Tottenham's dogged display against Palace may prove a false dawn for a side as consistently inconsistent as Frank's, who are now visiting a ground where goals at both ends are often a guarantee.

The Lilywhites have tended to fare well at the Gtech Community Stadium in recent years, but they may have to settle for a point on this occasion against Andrews's goal-happy Bees.

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