MX23RW : Thursday, December 12 10:13:52| >> :120:14941:14941:
[monks data]
Brentford logo
Premier League | Gameweek 16
Dec 10, 2021 at 8pm UK
Brentford Community Stadium
Watford logo

Brentford
2 - 1
Watford

Jansson (84'), Mbeumo (90+5' pen.)
Janelt (68'), Jansson (70'), Goode (81'), Onyeka (90+1')
FT(HT: 0-1)
Dennis (24')

Preview: Brentford vs. Watford - prediction, team news, lineups

Sports Mole previews Friday's Premier League clash between Brentford and Watford, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.

Watford will be looking to halt a run of three straight Premier League defeats when they head to West London on Friday evening to take on Brentford.

The Hornets are currently 17th in the table, just three points outside of the relegation zone, while Brentford occupy 13th position, four points above their opponents in this match.


Match preview

Brentford manager Thomas Frank applauds fans after the match on November 28, 2021© Reuters

All things considered, Brentford will be delighted with their 2021-22 Premier League campaign to date, winning four, drawing five and losing six of their 15 matches to collect 17 points, which has left them in 13th spot.

The Bees are seven points clear of the relegation zone heading into Friday's contest, and another victory would be a huge step in the right direction, as they bid to stay clear of the bottom three this term.

Thomas Frank's side have only lost one of their last four in the Premier League, while they picked up a welcome point away to Leeds United last weekend, with Shandon Baptiste and Sergi Canos netting in a 2-2 draw.

Brentford have actually performed better on their travels than at home this season, with 10 of their 17 points coming away from home, while only Burnley (six) and Norwich City (five) have picked up fewer home points than the Bees during the 2021-22 Premier League season.

Frank's team did beat Watford 2-0 at home in the corresponding match during the 2020-21 Championship campaign, but that was their first victory against the Hornets of any kind since April 1977.

Watford's Emmanuel Dennis and teammates react while snow falls during the match on November 28, 2021© Reuters

Watford were so impressive against Manchester United on November 20, running out 4-1 winners over the Red Devils, but they have not been able to build on the result against the 20-time English champions.

Indeed, Claudio Ranieri's side will enter this match off the back of three straight defeats, suffering a 4-2 reverse to Leicester City on November 28 before losing their next two home matches against Chelsea and Manchester City.

The Hornets have actually lost more games (10) than any other team in the Premier League this season, but they are just outside of the relegation zone, collecting 13 points from their 15 matches.

Ranieri's team are just three points ahead of basement side Norwich City, though, and their next two games, away to Brentford and away to Burnley, are huge in the context of their season.

Friday's clash at the Brentford Community Stadium will be the first ever Premier League meeting between these two teams, while it will be just their fifth contest of any kind since January 1998.

Brentford Premier League form:
  • L
  • L
  • D
  • W
  • L
  • D

Watford Premier League form:
  • L
  • L
  • W
  • L
  • L
  • L



Team News

Brentford's Ivan Toney in action with Tottenham Hotspur's Ben Davies, December 2, 2021© Reuters

Brentford will again be without the services of Mathias Jorgensen, Kristoffer Ajer, David Raya, Tariqe Fosu-Henry and Josh Dasilva through injury, while Canos will miss the contest through suspension.

Ivan Toney is also out for the Bees, having tested positive for coronavirus, so there could be a start in the final third of the field for Yoane Wissa alongside Bryan Mbuemo.

Frank could otherwise name the same side that started against Leeds last time out, with Baptiste again potentially getting the nod in midfield ahead of Frank Onyeka.

As for Watford, Nicolas Nkoulou, Francisco Sierralta, Peter Etebo, Ismaila Sarr, Kwadwo Baah, Ben Foster and Adam Masina are all out through injury, while Ken Sema remains a major doubt.

Ranieri is expected to select close to the same XI that started the home defeat to Man City last time out, with Joao Pedro, Joshua King and Emmanuel Dennis starting in an attacking team.

There could be a change in midfield, though, with Juraj Kucka potentially coming in for Imran Louza to feature alongside Tom Cleverley and Moussa Sissoko.

Brentford possible starting lineup:
Fernandez; Goode, Jansson, Pinnock; Rasmussen, Baptiste, Norgaard, Janelt, Henry; Mbuemo, Wissa

Watford possible starting lineup:
Bachmann; Femenia, Troost-Ekong, Cathcart, Rose; Dennis, Cleverley, Kucka, Sissoko, Pedro; King


SM words green background

We say: Brentford 2-2 Watford

There should be goals in this contest, with both sides likely to view this match as the ideal chance to put three points on the board. The two teams will again be missing a number of players through injury, and neither defence is particularly secure, so an entertaining 2-2 draw could be on the cards.



Top tip

Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting under 3.5 goals in this match. Click here to find out what else they are predicting for this game and for more of their tried-and-tested football tips.Under 3.5:data



ID:472270:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:collect10854:
Written by
Matt Law

Data Analysis

Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Brentford win with a probability of 47.27%. A draw had a probability of 26.5% and a win for Watford had a probability of 26.27%.

The most likely scoreline for a Brentford win was 1-0 with a probability of 12.4%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (9.07%) and 2-0 (9%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (12.51%), while for a Watford win it was 0-1 (8.63%). The actual scoreline of 2-1 was predicted with a 9.1% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted that Brentford would win this match.


Previews by email

Click here to get Sports Mole's daily email of previews and predictions for every major game!


Game History

How you voted: Brentford vs Watford

Brentford
47.3%
Draw
25.8%
Watford
26.9%
357
Collect / Create New Data
Share this article now:
Watford's Daniel Bachmann reacts, November 28, 2021
Read Next:
How Watford could line up against Chelsea
>
Sports Mole Logo
Enter your email address to subscribe to Sports Mole's free match previews newsletter! Updates are sent twice a week.
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd20135228111742
2Leeds UnitedLeeds20125336142241
3Burnley2010822471738
4Sunderland20107329151437
5Blackburn RoversBlackburn1910452317634
6West Bromwich AlbionWest Brom2071122314932
7Middlesbrough209473425931
8Watford199462725231
9Swansea CitySwansea207672119227
10Norwich CityNorwich206863530526
11Bristol City206862525026
12Sheffield WednesdaySheff Weds207582329-626
13Millwall196762017325
14Preston North EndPreston2041062026-622
15Luton TownLuton2064102335-1222
16Coventry CityCoventry205692529-421
17Derby CountyDerby205692226-421
18Stoke CityStoke205692126-521
19Queens Park RangersQPR204972026-621
20Oxford UnitedOxford Utd194692030-1018
21Portsmouth183872130-917
22Cardiff CityCardiff1945101730-1317
23Plymouth ArgylePlymouth1945101940-2117
24Hull City2037101828-1016


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!