Arsenal are back in Premier League action on Saturday evening as they host Brentford at the Emirates Stadium.
The Gunners will have one eye on their Champions League quarter-final second-leg clash with Real Madrid on Wednesday night, and thus, Mikel Arteta is expected to rest several key players against the Bees.
The likes of Bukayo Saka, Jurrien Timber and Martin Odegaard could all be on the sidelines, protected ahead of the trip to the Bernabeu.
Arsenal beat Brentford 3-1 in West London in the reverse fixture in January, in what was a relatively routine victory that lacked controversy or major talking points.
Arteta will be hoping for another relatively serene game, and with that said, here’s a look at the Premier League’s pick for their match officials for Arsenal v Brentford.
Who is the referee for Brentford v Arsenal?
The Premier League have announced that Simon Hooper will be the referee in charge of Arsenal’s match against Brentford.
Hooper has officiated four Gunners matches so far this season, with Arteta’s men winning three of these games.
The official oversaw Arsenal’s 2-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur in January, as well as the 5-1 thrashing of Crystal Palace, a 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest and the 2-0 defeat to Newcastle at St. James’ Park in the Carabao Cup.
Simon Hooper’s record against Arsenal
A Premier League referee since the beginning of the 2015/16 season, Hooper has an extensive sample of officiating Arsenal matches.
He’s taken charge of eleven Gunners fixtures throughout his career, handing them 17 yellow cards, no red cards and no penalties in the process.
| Hooper’s record refereeing Arsenal matches | |||
| Matches | Arsenal wins | Draws | Arsenal defeats |
| 11 | 8 | 1 | 2 |
Simon Hooper’s record against Brentford
As for Brentford, Hooper has officiated 34 of the West Londoners’ games, giving them 59 yellow cards, no red cards and two penalties in the process.
| Hooper’s record refereeing Brentford matches | |||
| Matches | Brentford wins | Draws | Brentford defeats |
| 34 | 11 | 10 | 13 |
Who are the assistant referees and VAR?
Alongside Simon Hooper as the referee will be his assistants, Adrian Holmes, Simon Long and Will Finnie, with the former two running the line and the latter the fourth official.
In the VAR room at Stockley Park, James Bell will oversee the game, with Nick Greenhalgh assisting him.
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