Crystal Palace’s final away match of the Premier League season sees them take on Brentford. The Bees have had an outstanding season but now must finish strongly to guarantee their place in Europe for next year.
Crystal Palace prepare for their final away match of the season, in a clash against high-flying Brentford.
With the Eagles safe and keeping one eye firmly on the Conference League final on May 27, this is effectively a match to keep sharpness ahead of that meeting with Rayo Vallecano.
They hold a minor two-point lead over the teams chasing them for eighth, and with Liverpool in their final game, they will feel this game is a must-win occasion.
So let’s look at Brentford and who their star players are and how Palace can hurt them.
Star Men
Before the Manchester City match we spoke about Erling Haaland, whose 26 goals have him almost certainly taking home yet another golden boot.
The Norwegian then ended up missing the match entirely but that will surely not be the case with the man closest to him in the top goalscorer charts - Igor Thiago.
The Brazilian has been like a new signing for them this season after recovering from his ACL rupture and has scored 22 goals across the season.
He is the obvious man to look out for and will be the focal point of all of Brentford’s attack.
Kevin Schade and Dango Ouatarra, who was signed from Bournemouth last summer, have both been excellent at times throughout the season in supporting Thiago.
Brentford have also been one of the most innovative sides when it comes to set pieces, and in Michael Kayode, they have an old-school long throw-in option, which has led to plenty of goals this season.
What do Palace need to watch out for?
Well, Brentford, like Palace, are a team that thrive on the counter attack.
They are deadly in that area, with the pace of Ouattara and Schade bombing up the wings behind Igor Thiago, making them very hard to stop on the break.
As mentioned, throw-ins in and around the box are effectively an extra set piece for Brentford, while their centre-backs are tall and powerful, giving them the edge at corners.
Palace will need to be sharp around set pieces and also be careful not to give possession away when around the Brentford box, as that can lead to dangerous counter attacking situations.
How can Palace hurt Brentford?
Despite their high league position, Brentford have defensively been middle of the class.
Palace will believe they have their own threats, with Tyrick Mitchell and Daniel Munoz providing the width to cause Brentford problems and their own front three containing the in-form Ismaila Sarr.
Palace have scored fewer goals than every team in the league bar Burnley and Wolves, but they have shown in recent weeks, especially in the Conference League, that they are capable of scoring important goals when it matters.