[4-3-3]: Partey returns, Lewis-Skelly starts again and 17-years old star replaced Bukayo Saka- Arsenal predicted lineup against Brentford as Mikel Arteta start 17-years old academy star ahead of Martinelli and Trossard

There should still be fireworks at the Gtech Community Stadium after the New Year’s Eve parties are over. On January 1, 2025, London rivals Brentford and Arsenal play the first Premier League game of the new year.

Only one of the teams from the capital was able to win their last games of 2024. On December 27, 2024, the Gunners made it hard for Ipswich Town to win. That same night, the Bees and Brighton & Hove Albion played to a scoreless draw.

Match sneak peek

Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal didn’t have to wait until the New Year to start a new era. When Ipswich came to the Emirates two days after Christmas, the Gunners started their new era without Hale End hero Bukayo Saka, who was hurt.

Saka, who hurt his hamstring, had to watch helplessly from the bench for the next two months. Arsenal worked hard to a 1-0 win over their defense-heavy opponents, who lost to a Kai Havertz goal in the first half but could still hold their heads high otherwise.

When the game ended, Arsenal fans were more relieved than thrilled. They knew that their already huge deficit to Liverpool would not grow any bigger, but thanks to Nottingham Forest’s win over Everton, they will start 2025 in third place in the Premier League table.

If Arsenal wins on Wednesday, they will be back above Nuno Espirito Santo’s surprise package. Gooners can be confident in this result based on their team’s three-game winning streak and 11-game unbeaten streak in all competitions.

Arsenal won all 10 of their Premier League London derbies in 2024, making it a habit to beat teams from the capital. Arteta’s team hasn’t even been outside of London since November 26, when they played Sporting Lisbon; this will be their ninth straight game in the English capital.

However, Brentford did leave familiar territory for a short time to play Brighton on December 27. The most talked-about part of that 0-0 draw was how Joao Pedro somehow avoided taking a bath right away after elbowing Yehor Yarmoliuk.

As confused fans vented their anger, Thomas Frank and his team broke down a draw that may have caused mixed feelings in the Bees’ camp. They ended a three-game losing streak at the Amex Stadium, but they are still one of only two Premier League teams that hasn’t won on the road this season, along with Southampton.

But because the Bees are so good at playing at the Gtech Community Stadium, they are currently in 12th place and safe. They have 22 points at home, which is tied for the most in the Premier League with Liverpool, and they have scored 26 goals, which is the most in any game in the league.

But Nottingham Forest’s 2-0 win over West London before Christmas broke down some of their walls. And even though they are generally the joint-best home team in the Premier League, they haven’t kept a single clean sheet at the Gtech this season.

In the 2023–24 Premier League season, Frank’s team also lost two close games to Arsenal. Since beating the Gunners in their first Premier League game in 2021, Brentford has lost all three of their home games against Arteta’s team without scoring.

Team News

After the game against Ipswich, Arteta told reporters that Saka had surgery to fix his major hamstring problem. However, he had better news about Raheem Sterling: his knee problem is not as bad as first thought.

But the loan player from Chelsea is still likely to feel too tired for the trip to Brentford. Also, Takehiro Tomiyasu and Ben White are still recovering from serious knee injuries and won’t be seen for a while.

Arteta chose to start Gabriel Martinelli instead of Saka against Brentford so that Gabriel Jesus could play. But the Brazilian lost his edge last time out, and Arteta may decide to get rid of him if he wants to add Thomas Partey to the middle.

After beating the Tractor Boys, Arsenal didn’t have any new problems. However, the Tractor Boys’ goalie Mark Flekken got hurt in the first half, and Ben Mee was also taken off near the end.

Fans of Brentford still don’t know how bad their injuries are, though Frank did say that he hoped they weren’t too bad. With Flekken and Mee’s absence, the Bees could be without a full XI on Wednesday because of their injuries.

It’s also possible that Sepp van den Berg (groin) and Mathias Jensen (thigh) will play. However, Igor Thiago (knee), Gustavo Nunes (back), Rico Henry (knee), Aaron Hickey (thigh), Josh Dasilva (knee), Kristoffer Ajer (ankle), and Ethan Pinnock (thigh) will not.

Possible starting lineup for Brentford:

The players who started are Valdimarsson, Roerslev, Collins, Kim, Lewis-Potter, Janelt, Norgaard, Mbeumo, Damsgaard, Schade, and Wissa.

Possible starting lineup for Arsenal:

Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Lewis-Skelly, Odegaard, Partey, and Rice start for Raya. Martinelli, Havertz, and Trossard come on as subs.