Preston North End picked up their first point of the season with a 2-2 draw with Norwich City at Carrow Road, although they have lost their opening two home fixtures.

Brentford are midtable after starting the season with one win, one draw and one loss, however, they come into this contest high on confidence after their 3-0 victory over Premier League-side Fulham on Thursday night.  

 

Team news

Rico Henry remains a doubt for the Bees with a hamstring injury. Saïd Benrahma returned to Brentford’s starting 11 for the first time this season, amid links with a move away from the Championship, scoring twice against Fulham.

Preston are without forward Tom Barkhuizen due to suspension after he received a controversial red card against Stoke City last weekend – this has been reduced to a one-game ban after an appeal.  Josh Earl and Louis Moult are all out of the contest with injury, but Daniel Johnson could return depending on a late fitness test.

 

Predicted Line-ups

Brentford (4-3-3): Raya; Dalsgaard, Jansson, Pinnock, Thompson; Dasilva, Norgaard, Marcondes; Mbeumo, Toney, Benrahma.

Preston North End (3-5-2): Rudd; Storey, Bauer, Davies; Hughes, Pearson, Browne, Ledson, Sinclair; Maguire, Stockley.

 

Form Guide

Brentford have had a good start to the 2020/21 campaign. Beginning the season with a penalty shoot-out win against Wycombe Wanderers and an opening day defeat to Birmingham City, Brentford have gone five games unbeaten, conquering three top-flight sides in the Carabao Cup, as well as a 3-0 victory over Huddersfield Town and a draw with Millwall.

Preston are currently just above the relegation places after a poor start to the Championship. An defeat to Swansea City was followed up with a 2-2 draw with Norwich. Lee Gregory’s 39th-minute strike was the difference last Saturday, as Stoke beat 10-man Preston at Deepdale.

The Lilywhites exited the Carabao Cup at the third-round stage with a 2-0 defeat to Premier League Brighton and Hove Albion, after eliminating Mansfield Town and Derby County in the preceding rounds.

 

Ones to watch

Brentford – Saïd Benrahma

Benrahma returned to the starting 11 in the aforementioned cup win against the Cottages on Thursday night, netting his first two goals of the campaign. The Algerian international has been the centre of many transfer stories linking him with a move away from the Bees and with good reason, too, with 26 goal involvements last term.

The winger is an exciting talent, making an average of three dribbles per game and providing 2.3 key passes per game.

 

Preston – Ben Pearson

Brentford play with an ounce of class and the flashiness of a Premier League side, meaning the importance of Pearson’s presence will be much greater to upset the Bees’ rhythm. The tenacious midfielder makes on average 1.3 tackles and 1.7 interceptions per game from central midfield.

 

Last time they met

These two sides met back in July during the restart to the season at Griffin Park.

Ollie Watkins, who made the switch to Aston Villa in the summer, netted the only goal of the game after just four minutes in a highly-contested affair between the two sides, who were in the promotion hunt. 

 

Where to watch

The only way to view this clash live on Sunday 4 October is by purchasing an 'iFollow' match pass on either of the club’s website.