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Arsenal will be looking to start 2025 in style as they attempt to close the gap on league leaders Liverpool. They travel to Brentford on Wednesday knowing victory will see them move into second place.
Brentford are not in the best of forms as they have failed to pick up a win since they defeated Newcastle United 4-2 on December 7.
Since then they have lost two and drawn one. They ended a two game losing streak last weekend when they played out a goalless draw away at Brighton & Hove Albion.
The Bees are seriously struggling with injuries as they have a pretty full medical room with a number of top performers unable to participate.
Ben Mee, Thiago, Gustavo Nunes, Rico Henry, Ethan Pinnock and Joshua Dasilva are just six of the 10 players unable to play for Thomas Frank.
Arsenal received a massive boost on Monday when fellow title chasers Chelsea suffered a surprise defeat away at struggling Ipswich Town.
The Gunners were expecting to head into Wednesday’s clash in fourth place, but they have remained in third spot behind Nottingham Forest and Liverpool.
Victory over Brentford will see them move ahead of Forest into second and just five points behind Liverpool.
Arsenal are unbeaten in their last eight Premier League matches. They have won five and drawn three. They are currently on a two game winning run thanks to victories over Crystal Palace and Ipswich Town.
England international Bukayo Saka remains on the sidelines with a hamstring injury and is expected to be out of action until March.
Raheem Sterling is struggling with a knee problem but it is not reported to be serious, while Ben White and Takehiro Tomiyasu are both on the injury list.
These two have met 18 times overall, with the Gunners winning eight and Brentford being victorious on six occasions.
Arsenal were victorious in their last meeting in March 2024 with Declan Rice and Kai Havertz both getting on the score sheet in a 3-1 win at the Emirates Stadium.
The Gunners have won their last three games against the Bees and kept clean sheets in tow of those matches. The last time Brentford won on home soil against Arsenal in August 2021 with goals from Sergi Canos and Christian Norgaard.
Brentford find themselves in 12th position with a record of seven wins, eight defeats and three draws. Victory would see them leapfrog Tottenham Hotspur on the league ladder - something that would actually please Arsenal fans.
The Gunners remained in third place following Chelsea's shock loss at Ipswich Town. Victory for Arsenal against Brentford will see them jump into second place above Nottingham Forest and they will move six points behind leaders Liverpool.
This is a very important game for the Gunners because they have past history in beating the big guns then failing to take three points from teams they are expected to beat.
The bookies do not feel that Arsenal will slip up on New Year’s Day. The Gunners are overwhelming favourites and can be backed at 4/9 with Bet365.
The Bees are outsiders to cause an upset and help Liverpool move a step closer to just their second Premier League title. Brentford can be backed at 11/2 with the draw on offer at 15/4.
Arsenal have the opportunity to become Liverpool’s number one title rivals and it is one they cannot afford to waste.
The Gunners have won three and drawn two of their last five matches, scoring nine goals and conceding just two.
Arsenal look to be biding their time with some of their top players starting to put in some big performances that could carry them to the Premier League title.
Gabriel Jesus has found his magic touch in front of goal with five goals in his last three matches in all competitions.
Another player back in form is former Chelsea star Kai Havertz. The fans at Stamford Bridge used to sing about Havertz being ‘the best on Earth’. However, he has not shown that sort of form since moving to rivals Chelsea.
Havertz is capable of being one of the best players in the Premier League. He is starting to show how good he can be with three goals in five games in all competitions.
The German scored the winner for Arsenal against Ipswich Town on Thursday and we expect him to play a crucial role in another win for the Gunners.
We are backing the former Bayer Leverkusen star to open the scoring on the way to a comfortable 2-0 win for Mikel Arteta’s men.
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