Brentford manager Thomas Frank has tipped Arsenal to be Manchester City's closest challengers for the Premier League title amid their impressive start to the season.
The Gunners have won five of their first six games and can leapfrog City back into top spot by beating the Bees on Sunday. Their success this term is an indication of the turnaround that Mikel Arteta has inspired over the past year.
The corresponding fixture last campaign saw Brentford defeat Arsenal 2-0 on the opening day, kicking off a run of three successive losses that left Arteta's men bottom. But there has been a major reversal in fortunes since then, with Arsenal appearing to be early title challengers.
Frank certainly believes that the Gunners have what it takes to maintain their surprise title push and insisted that his side face a far sterner challenge than they did on the opening day last year.
"We are playing against a very good side. When we beat them a year ago, I think they were not in the same place as they are now. It was still a fantastic win for Brentford against a club as massive as Arsenal and against top players," he said.
"Doing it on Sunday would be completely different because for me, now, after [Manchester] City, they are the best performing team in the league. Maybe, in spells, they’ve been the best performing team over the first six games. I think they’ve been remarkable, especially the intensity they play with.
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"I’ve watched a lot of their games, not live, but I remember being sat there on the Friday night for their opening game of the season watching them against Crystal Palace. I was thinking, ‘What?! That’s another level’."
One of City's leading players in their frequent title wins under Pep Guardiola has been Kevin De Bruyne. And Frank believes that Brentford will face a similar threat if Martin Odegaard lines up for the Gunners at the Brentford Community Stadium.
"For the first 20 minutes, Crystal Palace didn’t touch the ball. And I thought they could win the Premier League. I think they’ve been fantastic. I think the players are growing, they’ve got the right players in," he added.
"I know Saliba came back, Jesus has been a fantastic signing, and I think Odegaard, the way he plays at this moment in time, De Bruyne is a decent player, but he’s not far off him in terms of performances."
Arsenal are only two points behind table toppers City with a game in hand after Guardiola's men claimed a comfortable win over Wolves on Saturday. So far, the only defeat that Arteta's side have suffered came at Manchester United a fortnight ago.
They will hope to avoid the fate the Red Devils suffered in their own trip to Brentford, when the Bees thrashed them 4-0. Frank's men sit ninth in the Premier League and can jump into fifth place if they claim a surprise win over Arteta's side.
