Nuno Espirito Santo has warned West Ham that Brentford’s intensity, physicality and set-piece threat will make Saturday’s Premier League meeting a difficult test.
Nuno Espirito Santo has warned West Ham that Brentford will create “a lot of problems” when the two sides meet at the Gtech Community Stadium on Saturday.
Brentford go into the Premier League fixture still chasing a place in Europe, while West Ham arrive with renewed confidence after Callum Wilson’s late winner against Everton gave them a major boost in their fight to stay in the division.
Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Nuno said West Ham’s squad had come through the week in encouraging condition ahead of the trip to west London.
“Yes, small knocks, but it seems like everybody’s going to be okay,” he said when asked about injuries.
That could matter against a Brentford side who are expected to make the game physically demanding. Keith Andrews’ team are without a win in six matches, but they remain difficult to play against and have stayed competitive during a frustrating run.
Nuno acknowledged that Brentford’s wider motivation, as well as West Ham’s own survival push, should make the game intense.
“All the games in the Premier League are intense,” he said. “No matter what we are fighting for, it’s always the responsibility of being in the best league of the world. So it’s going to be tough and we are preparing ourselves for Brentford.”
The West Ham manager was also asked about Brentford’s set-piece threat, which has long been one of their most reliable routes to creating chances.
Nuno said West Ham are aware of that danger, but stressed that Brentford cannot be reduced to one part of the game.
“Not only because they are really good on that aspect of the game, but we can see the importance of set pieces to the league, the amount of goals that are scored,” he said.
“I think we are being positive and confident that we can handle the situation, the boys have been doing a good task but Brentford it’s not only the set pieces that they have, because they have a good team and good players, but they create a lot of problems.”
There is also recent history between the sides after their close FA Cup meeting earlier this season, which went to penalties. Nuno suggested that game had given West Ham useful reference points, while accepting Saturday will bring a different challenge.
“We know ourselves, Brentford know us and we know Brentford,” he said. “We could take some examples of the way that Brentford does things. They are very intense, very physical. It’s a reference for us, but knowing that it’s going to be new, kind of new things will happen.”
For Brentford, the comments underline the respect they still command despite their recent results. West Ham will arrive lifted by their win over Everton, but Nuno’s message was clear: Brentford’s physical edge, set-piece quality and European motivation make this a serious test for both sides.