Mikel Arteta's Arsenal return to Premier League action this weekend as they make the short trip to west London to face an in-form Brentford. A win over Thomas Frank's side will see them enter the first international break of the new season as league leaders.
The Gunners' home clash against Everton was postponed last weekend following the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, whilst their Europa League fixture against PSV at the Emirates Stadium on Thursday was also postponed, with a rescheduled date already organised.
There were also fears that the fixture against Brentford would be postponed due to policing issues ahead of the Queen's funeral on Monday, but the decision was made to move the fixture forward from a 2pm kick-off to 12pm.
Although Arsenal are favourites to win the game, it won't be a walk in the park for the Gunners as Brentford have made a strong start of their own. Plus, the Gunners will need to be wary of what happened in the same fixture last season as Frank's side eased to a 2-0 opening day victory.
The Bees currently sit in a healthy eighth position after big wins over both Manchester United and Leeds United. With Ivan Toney eager to impress Gareth Southgate after being called-up to the England squad for the first time, Brentford have firepower upfront and Arteta's outfit will have to be at their best to get a good result.
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As always, pundits have predicted the game's outcome. With that in mind, Arsenal legend Paul Merson is of the opinion that his former side will return to winning ways following defeat at Old Trafford just under a fortnight ago.
"Arsenal will remember what happened on the opening day of the 2021-22 Premier League season - in fact, it'll be fresh in their memory," he told Sportskeeda. "Ivan Toney scored a sensational hat-trick for Brentford against Bournemouth and will be one to watch out for, but I think Arsenal will get all three points. It will be a tough game, but the Gunners have been good this season and will look to return to winning ways after losing 3-1 to Manchester United."
Merson's Prediction: 0-2
Not everybody agrees with Merson though, including Chris Sutton, who thinks that the Gunners are in for a tough afternoon: "Brentford got off to a great start last season by beating Arsenal at home in their first game after being promoted, and there will be a cracking atmosphere there this time too," he told the BBC.
"The Gunners have improved a lot from 12 months ago, but the Bees have shown recently against Manchester United and Leeds that they carry a real threat. So, this will be a tough test for Arsenal - and I just have a sneaky feeling that Brentford will get something out of the game."
Sutton's prediction: 1-1
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