Brentford vs West Ham United: Frank’s Bees buzzing ahead of London derby
Fresh off an emphatic 2-0 victory last week at their West London rivals Chelsea, Brentford are looking to extend their 13-game unbeaten streak against London opposition at home to West Ham United.
The Bees have beaten West Ham four times out of four in the Premier League since their arrival in the top flight two years ago, and will be keen to make it five on Saturday at the Gtech Community Stadium.
Injury woes continue to plague the West London side, but manager Thomas Frank had some good news regarding the return of some key first-team players. For Mikkel Damsgaard, Josh Dasilva and Keane Lewis-Potter, Frank said it would be “more weeks than months” until we see them in the squad again.
Despite the injuries, Brentford have won their last two games, scoring five without conceding a goal, and Frank had high praise for one defender in particular: Ethan Pinnock. When asked by the Sports Gazette on his impact, Frank answered:
“He [Pinnock] is a giant. He’s so good as a central defender and is just so good defensively. He is underrated in general. He goes under the radar because everything he does, he does it so easily. Just a mountain.”
Frank and his side will be looking for another big performance from Pinnock and the defence, as they remain wary of the set piece threat West Ham possess. The Hammers have a prolific set-piece taker in James Ward-Prowse, and will try to refrain from giving away cheap free kicks.
“They [set pieces] are always a big focus for us. West Ham are one of the best set-piece teams, good headers, good physicality, and in my opinion, they have the best set-piece taker [Ward-Prowse] in the league.”
The Bees manager is well aware of the tough opposition he faces on the weekend, but knows that on their day, Brentford can beat anyone, as they have proved again and again versus their London opposition.
“They [West Ham] are a very good side. They have had a good start to the season and did excellently in the transfer market this summer with [Edson] Alvarez and [Mohammed] Kudus, who is a fantastic player.”
Frank emphasised however, “We trust ourselves and believe that if we perform, we have a good chance.”
