The Bees must secure a vital derby victory to keep European hopes alive as they face a Palace side balancing domestic duties with an upcoming continental final.
Brentford host Crystal Palace at the Gtech Community Stadium on Sunday in their final home game of the Premier League season.
Keith Andrews’ side go into the London derby looking to respond after their 3-0 defeat to Manchester City. The Bees competed well for an hour at the Etihad Stadium, but Jeremy Doku’s second-half opener changed the game before City pulled away.
Palace arrive with their Premier League safety already secured, while they also have the Europa Conference League final against Rayo Vallecano to come later this month. That gives Oliver Glasner’s side a major European occasion ahead, but Brentford cannot afford to assume their focus will drift.
Team news
Brentford have more options available than they did earlier in the run-in, with Jordan Henderson, Vitaly Janelt and Aaron Hickey all involved against Manchester City.
That gives Andrews greater depth for the final two matches of the season. Henderson adds experience in midfield, Janelt provides another central option, and Hickey’s return gives Brentford extra cover at full-back after a difficult spell with injuries.
Andrews described the squad picture as “very similar” to last weekend, but pointed to the extra options from the bench as important for the run-in.
“We’re confident we can play well in these last two games,” Andrews said. “We’ve got more options to come off the bench and impact it, but we’ll have to play really well to get the points needed.”
Rico Henry is unlikely to feature again this season as he continues his recovery from a hamstring injury. Fábio Carvalho and Antoni Milambo also remain sidelined with ACL injuries.
For Palace, Eddie Nketiah and Cheick Doucouré have recently remained unavailable, while Evann Guessand and Borna Sosa have been working back towards contention. Palace also had a midweek game against Manchester City, so Glasner’s selection may be shaped by workload as well as the Conference League final on the horizon.
Key battles
Brentford need to turn performances into points. There were parts of the City defeat that Andrews could take encouragement from, but the table leaves little room for another nearly performance. With only two games left, this is a fixture Brentford must win.
Brentford will also need to make the most of their attacking physicality. Igor Thiago remains the focal point, while Kevin Schade and Dango Ouattara can give the Bees running power around him. Palace’s back-three system and wing-backs can be difficult to break down, so Brentford may need to be direct at the right moments rather than simply trying to play around them.
At the other end, Palace have enough pace and quality to punish loose possession. Ismaïla Sarr and Jean-Philippe Mateta have been highlighted as key threats, while Palace’s wing-backs are a major part of how they progress up the pitch.
For the Bees, the task at hand is clear. If they stand any chance of European football, they need to take all three points on Sunday afternoon. Anything less would leave them relying heavily on results elsewhere.