Brentford vs Tottenham preview

Brentford vs Tottenham on 13 August 2023 is poised to be an interesting clash for fans of both teams as well as neutrals who will be at the Community Stadium or watching the game via the Premier League’s official broadcast partners.

Both London clubs have put on a show in their tie for the last two seasons and the match is now one to look out for.

Having returned to the top flight in the 2021/22 season for the first time in 75 years, the Bees have slotted in nicely, like they always belonged. They immediately set to work on their fellow London teams first to establish their dominance in England’s capital city.

Good results against Chelsea, Crystal Palace, West Ham United, Arsenal and their 2023/24 League opener opponents, Spurs, showed that they genuinely meant business. Manager Thomas Frank is now respected as one of the best managers in the league and is being looked at by bigger teams.

Meanwhile, Spurs have continued to perform erratically, making their fans happy in some moments and livid in other moments.

Ahead of the match between both sides, Spurs’ fans will remember the 3-1 loss at home to Brentford last May, just before the 2022/23 season came to an end. Now that they will be taking a bus trip across London to the Brentford Community Stadium on 13 August to support their team, they will also remember that in two visits to their neighbours, they have not been able to leave with more than a point (two draws).

Changes have taken place in the Spurs’ dugout since then. Ange Postecoglou is at the wheel and the Australian has been given Guglielmo Vicario to work with as long-serving goalkeeper Hugo Lloris’ exit. His biggest headache is Harry Kane, who could be leaving the club before the start of the season.

Some useful transfers have happened which the fans will be counting on to make an impact when they take on the 17,250-capacity stadium that is home to Bees who are not hesitant to sting.

It is the match that holds the most entertainment value for neutrals in the first matchday of the new league season. Bettors could also have a headache predicting how it could go.

Read on to find out more information on the match tickets, team news and selections, lineups, and our predictions for the highly anticipated fixture.

Match Tickets

The Brentford vs Tottenham Hotspur match is scheduled for 13 August  2023 at 2 PM. It is the first fixture of the Sunday round of games in matchday 1 of the new Premier League season. It will be broadcast live on Sky Sports and on other broadcast partners around the world.

Tickets for the match are already up and selling fast on both teams’ websites. Ticket resellers have also started providing reselling services for fans who want to attend the game but are unable to secure a ticket due to the waiting list on each team’s websites or for any other reason.

Brentford vs Tottenham Hotspur tickets will be sold out because of the size of the host stadium (17,250-capacity) which means resellers will be the best bet for most neutrals and Spurs’ fans, who are the visitors on the day.

Many Spurs fans will be interested in this game because it will be Postecoglu’s first real test as the Lilywhites’ manager.

Having watched him manage the team to some success in pre-season, they will be refreshing their browsers for any Tottenham Hotspur tickets they can find, especially those that will give them access to the opening game of the 2023/24 season, which happens to be against an opponent against whom they have not had a pleasant experience.

Team news

Guglielmo Vicario replaces Hugo Llloris in goal for Spurs, which will be the biggest change that the club’s fans will witness in almost a decade.

The Frenchman called time on his sojourn in England after 11 years and the club went to Italy to pick the 26-year-old as his replacement. Vicario has impressed so far in pre-season but the Premier League atmosphere is different. He will be under scrutiny as he attempts to prove that he can fill Hugo Lloris’ boots for the foreseeable future.

Vicario is only one of a number of changes to the Spurs’ backline. Portugal international Pedro Porro and Dutch defender Micky van de Ven have come in for a combined €80 million. This is evidence that Daniel Levy witnessed the struggles of his team at the back last season.

Postecoglou also has the talents of James Maddison at his disposal following the midfielder’s transfer from Leicester City after their relegation from the league last season. He is certain to slot right into the first XI and that will add some more creativity to the team.

Brentford’s biggest change is the absence of Ivan Toney. The striker has been banned from football and footballing activities for gambling-related offenses until January 17 next year. This means that Frank will have to set his team up without his talisman for the first half of the season.

He was important in every game against Spurs and now, the Bees will have to find a way to hold them off in their 2023/24 curtain raiser.

Brentford have also strengthened their squad in key areas of the pitch. They have lost David Raya to Arsenal and will have Thomas Strakosha in goal against Spurs. The Bees fans will be hoping that the 28-year-old Albanian goalkeeper will live up to Raya’s legacy against Spurs and for the rest of the season.

Lineups

Thomas Strakosha will be in goal for the Bees and he will be guarded by the trusty partnership of Ben Mee and Ethan Pinnock.

Both experienced defenders will hold the fort down for Frank because of the quality of their visitors who will be fielding , Son Heung-Min, Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison in attack.

In the middle of the park for the Bees, we will most likely get to see Vitaly Janelt, Christian Nörgaard, and Josh DaSilva. Nigerian midfielder Frank Onyeka will come off the bench to add extra power and running to the game when the Spurs players have been worn out.

It is in an attack that Brentford will have to make serious adjustments. They have not found much success in pre-season without Toney. They have played Yoanne Wissa upfront in place of the English striker but the DR Congo international has been unable to deliver much. Against a Spurs backline of new signing Van de Ven and Porro, they will very likely struggle to get chances going.

Brentford: Strakosha; Henry, Mee, Pinnock, Hickey; Janelt; DaSilva, Damsgaard, Jensen, Yarmolyuk; Wissa

Spurs: Vicario; Romero, van De Ven, Porro, Emerson Royal; Höjbjerg, Bentancur, Bissouma; Son, Kulusevski; Kane

Prediction

Ange Postecoglu has had a brilliant outing with his side in pre-season. They have held their own against the likes of Barcelona and Shakhtar Donetsk and now, he is ready to take on the best that England has to offer.

They will come out guns blazing against the Bess who will be hosting them on Sunday 12 August but Thomas Frank will be ready for them.

It will be a game of counter-attacking football between both sides and Kane will be the player to watch out for. Spurs will also keep most of the ball because they are better at it.

The game will be tight and a draw is the best outcome both sides will hope for.

Brentford 1-1 Spurs