What can Brentford Expect From Their First Five Fixtures?

Although Brentford have not actually played their first game of pre-season yet, their 26/27 Premier League campaign will begin in just 19 days time, when they welcome Tottenham Hotspur to the GTech Community Stadium for a 17:30 kick off live on Sky Sports in the UK. 

After that, they will place Leeds United away, Sunderland at home, AFC Bournemouth away and Chelsea at home, leading us to the first (extended) international break of the season. 

But what can Brentford expect from these five opponents? Let's take a look. 

Let's start with the opener against Spurs. It feels like a long, long time ago that the North London outfit were poaching Thomas Frank from The Bees, in a move that really did not work out at all. Early on this year, he was replaced by Igor Tudor, which was not much better at all, and then by Roberto De Zerbi, who at least seems to have steadied the ship. 

Relegation looked like a real possibility for Spurs last season, who only officially confirmed their safety on the final day with a 1-0 win at home to Everton. They would have been relegated had they lost that game. 

It will have been frustrating for Brentford that, despite how poor Spurs were last season, they were only able to take one point off them, scoring zero goals in the process with a 2-0 defeat at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and a 0-0 draw at home.

Truth be told, we can expect them to be much better this season, with one game a week, De Zerbi having a full pre season and transfer window, and with new additions such as Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes in the door. 

The good news for Brentford is that, we might not see that in the first game of the season. They could be caught cold. They feel like the sort of team that really get into the groove a couple of months into the season and then catch fire. So there is the possibility that they could rock the apple cart, especially at home. 

Meanwhile, the game against Leeds - a Sunday 2pm kick off - will be interesting. They surprised many by finishing 14th place last season as a newly promoted side, comfortably above the drop. They have been busy in the transfer market too, bringing in defender Tarik Muharemovic from Sassuolo, as well as Harry Wilson on a free transfer from Fulham, who Brentford fans know only too well. 

There is also the expectation that they will complete the signing of James Trafford from Manchester City too. Furthermore, they have also been able to keep hold of key players such as Anton Stach and Gabriel Gudmundsson, so there is good continuity there as well as the sprinkle of extra stardust added. A very tough game, especially at Elland Road. Both games last season were draws, and that would not be the worst result here. 

After that is the home game with Sunderland, the first Saturday 3pm game of the season. It is a shame this game is not a few weeks later, as many have said the extra congestion of the UEFA Europa League - which they superbly achieved against all odds last season - will hinder their league form, but this game will come before that competition starts. 

Despite links with Chelsea earlier on in the window, it looks like The Black Cats will be able to keep hold of Granit Xhaka this season, which is as good as any new signing. The most notable arrival at the Stadium of Light has probably been veteran full back/wing back Thomas Meunier. He is a good player, but has always been found wanting defensively, so with Brentford's pace in wide areas, that could be something to exploit. 

Next up is the trip to the South Coast to face Bournemouth for another Saturday 3pm kick off. This will be an interesting one because nobody knows what the Cherries are going to look like under new manager Marco Rose, who replaced the much loved Andoni Iraola this summer. 

Again, it is a shame that this game will come just before The Cherries venture into Europe in the form of the Europa League, but perhaps there will be subconscious eyes on that instead. The good news for Brentford is that star man Eli Junior Kroupi will miss the game through injury. 

Still, they have plenty of other good players, including winger Rayan who featured for Brazil at the World Cup. They will be hoping that key midfielder Alex Scott will still be around for that game, amidst heavy links elsewhere. The corresponding fixture last season saw a pretty dour 0-0 draw in March, let's hope for something more exciting. 

Then, to finish things off, a West London derby at home to Chelsea live on Monday Night Football for the final game for Brentford - and the whole of the Premier League - before the prolonged international break. 

This fixture last season was a 2-2 draw, with a late equaliser for Keith Andrews' side. A lot has changed since then, however. Back then Chelsea were managed by Enzo Maresca, who was replaced by Calum McFarlane, who was replaced by Liam Rosenior, who was replaced by Calum McFarlane, who was then finally replaced by Xabi Alonso. 

It is hard to know what the Blues will look like under the Spaniard, but this is a game that, under the lights, fans will be desperate to win, particularly if Jordan Henderson is involved. His age mate Danny Welbeck was also signed by them recently, and Brentford fans will remember how he scored in both fixtures for Brighton and Hove Albion last season.