Arsenal host Brentford at the Emirates on Saturday evening and predictions have been made ahead of the clash.
The Gunners sit eleven points behind Premier League leaders Liverpool with seven games remaining, so hopes of winning the title are slim for Mikel Arteta’s men, although the Merseysiders did lose at Fulham last time out.
Real Madrid were battered by Arsenal in the Champions League in midweek, and the North Londoners will likely have one eye on the second leg at the Bernabeu when they take on the Bees.
Arsenal won 3-1 in the reverse fixture in January and will be hoping to replicate this impressive performance in N5 this weekend.
Paul Merson thinks Mikel Arteta will rotate heavily for Arsenal v Brentford
Arsenal will have Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka available for the encounter against Brentford, with Arteta easing injury fears over the duo on Friday, after both limped off against Real Madrid.
However, Arsenal Insider revealed this week that Arteta is likely to rotate against Brentford, with the Spaniard not keen on risking pivotal players ahead of the second leg.
Paul Merson is convinced this is the approach Arteta will take, although the former Gunners forward still thinks Arsenal will overcome Thomas Frank’s outfit.
Writing for Sportskeeda, the pundit said: “As I said earlier, I don’t think the Arsenal vs Real Madrid tie is over yet. That makes this a tricky game for the Gunners. Brentford are not an easy team to face in the Premier League.
“I don’t think Mikel Arteta believes his team are through to the semi-finals of the Champions League despite the 3-0 win. So I’m expecting him to rest a few players against Brentford.
“Arsenal are ten points clear of Manchester City in sixth-place, so they are in the driving seat for Champions League qualification next season. They have no chance of winning the league title anymore so they will focus on the Champions League.
“I wouldn’t start Bukayo Saka in this game. He was excellent during midweek and Arsenal will need him fresh for the second leg. The same applies to Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard, so I’m expecting a few changes with Raheem Sterling potentially involved from the start.
“Even with all the changes, I think Arsenal will get the three points.”
Score prediction: Arsenal 2-1 Brentford
Chris Sutton makes Arsenal vs Brentford prediction
If Arteta does ultimately rest a number of senior players, the Gunners could end up fielding a makeshift side that includes the likes of Kieran Tierney and Oleksandr Zinchenko.
Brentford have won four of their last five away games in the Premier League, and thus, such an unconventional Arsenal line-up could spell trouble.
Despite this, like Merson, Sutton believes Arsenal will beat the West Londoners.
Writing for BBC Sport, he said: “I wanted Arsenal to try to push Liverpool in the title race but boss Mikel Arteta clearly knew something I didn’t, resting his players against Everton last weekend and then demolishing Real Madrid the way they did.
“Arteta will make changes again here, before Wednesday’s second leg at the Bernabeu, and the fact it won’t be the Gunners’ strongest side makes this quite hard to predict.
“Brentford are very capable but I have a feeling the Gunners will still have enough to win, even though they are prioritising Europe now.”
Score prediction: Arsenal 2-1 Brentford
Brentford had their feet up in midweek whilst Arsenal were engaged in an emotionally and physically intense game, potentially giving Frank’s team more energy for this encounter.
However, the Bees have little to play for, sitting not particularly close to the European places and nowhere near the relegation spots, so they may not find the motivation to push hard for victory in Islington.
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