Correlation FC

Brentford vs Arsenal, preview

A fictitious squad of "Gooners" make for an imposing opposition.

The Bees continue their streak of playing nearly all of their games in London, with a trip to Emirates Stadium to play the league leaders, Arsenal. According to the Opta Power Rankings, the Gunners are currently the best club team in the world.

Recent history

The Bees have only beaten Arsenal once in the Premier League era, the forever memorable opening night of the 2021-22 season. Since then, Arsenal has won six times and the teams have drawn twice. The last time they played was in April, when they drew 1-1 at the Emirates.

Recent form

Arsenal have had a nearly perfect season so far. They've been perfect in Europe, including wins against Bayern Munich and Atlético Madrid. They've only lost once in the league, that loss coming to Liverpool in late August. They have drawn two of their last three league games.

The Bees have been excellent at home, but haven't picked up many points on the road this season.

Opta Power Rankings (as of 2nd December 2025)

Pre-game correlation

The Bees have picked up points in 5 of the 8 games this season where their opponent has come into the game with a higher Opta Power Ranking.

Thiago is quickest to 10 goals

With his double against Burnley, Igor Thiago's goal total in the league reached 11 so far this season. He's become the fastest Brentford player to 10 goals in the Premier League era, taking the title from previous holder, Ivan Toney.

Brentford's top goal scorers in each Premier League season (source FBref)

We can see that Thiago is ahead of the pace set by Toney, Yoane Wissa and Bryan Mbeumo in previous seasons. Each player experienced goal droughts, so we need to be prepared for that for Thiago as well. But if he's able to stay healthy and continue scoring at this pace, we may see him break Toney and Mbeumo's joint record of 20 goals.

Familiar faces

Many Bees fans will be excited to see former captain, Christian Norgaard, for the first time since he left the Bees for Arsenal this summer. He's only made 2 league appearances so far, but will surely get more playing time through the winter as the fixtures come fast and furious.

Norgaard isn't the only person at Arsenal with a Brentford connection. David Raya has proven himself to be one of the best goalkeepers in the league. Brentford fans, of course, knew that years ago, but it's plain for all to see now as he's on his way to winning his third straight "Golden Glove" award for the most clean sheets in the league. Former set piece coach Nicolas Jover and former goalkeeping coach Iñaki Caña have also found great success with the club.

On the Brentford side, Reiss Nelson may be watching from the stands, as Football Association rules will prevent him from playing against Arsenal while he's at Brentford on loan. Assistant coach Mehmet Ali joined Brentford from Arsenal this past summer, and he'll surely be looking forward to returning to the club for a brief visit.