Match Preview: Brentford v Leicester City | OneFootball

Brentford welcome Leicester City to Gtech Community Stadium on Saturday (3pm kick-off).

Despite being reduced to 10 players against Everton after Christian Nørgaard’s 41st-minute dismissal, Thomas Frank’s side stood firm to secure their first Premier League clean sheet and first away point of the season last time out.

Nørgaard’s red card has since been rescinded, meaning the Bees captain is available this weekend.

Leicester were beaten 2-1 by Chelsea last Saturday, and parted company with manager Steve Cooper the following day.

Cooper was dismissed with the Foxes 16th in the Premier League table after 12 games.

Pre-match Analysis

Richard Cole, Playmaker Stats: Brentford must be wary of Buonanotte

Brentford take on a managerless Leicester City on Saturday.

The Foxes rank third in the Premier League for tackles per game on average with 20.9 behind only Crystal Palace and Manchester United.

Aerially too, Leicester are a threat winning 14.2 aerials per game on average which rankings them fourth in the league.

Of course, they'll likely meet their match against Brentford who are typically first in this category with 18 aerials per game on average.

While Leicester have the lowest shots per game on average in the Premier League (9.8), with 15 goals this campaign they have still scored more league goals than Newcastle and Manchester United (13).

Indeed, the Foxes are just one of three teams to be outperforming their xG this season with a positive score of +1.28xG. Wolverhampton Wanderers are way ahead in this category (+5.51xG) but interestingly the Bees are the only other team to be 'in the black' with +0.81xG.

Ben Dawson will be overseeing the game at Gtech Community Stadium with the former Newcastle United youth coach hoping his players impress ahead of the appointment of the new manager.

While Leicester do have injury issues and will be missing one of their best performers this year, Abdul Fatawu, until the end of the season they will be able to welcome the return of the exciting Facundo Buonanotte after the Argentinian served a suspension last time out.

The on-loan Brighton playmaker is one of just four teenagers to score in the Premier League this season (alongside Than Nwaneri, Jack Hinshelwood and Tyler Dibling) but the only one of those to score more than once with the 19-year-old netting three times in the league so far.

Buonanotte also ranks fourth in the Premier League for average through balls per game with 0.4 (the same as Mikkel Damsgaard). That's more than the likes of Cole Palmer, Savinho, and Youri Tielemans with only Dwight McNeil and Alex Iwobi ahead in the rankings (0.5).

Despite that potential danger from young Buonanotte and a Leicester team with a point to prove, Brentford will simply want a victory against the Foxes – something they haven't done for 70 years when the Bees recorded a league double in the 1952/53 Second Division season.

A win really is long overdue.

Scout Report

Dan Long, Sky Sports: Leicester in transition following Cooper's departure

It goes without saying that Leicester City have been on a wild ride over the last eight years.

From winning the Premier League as a 5000/1 shot in 2016, to playing in the Champions League, lifting the FA Cup for the first time, reaching the semi-final of the Conference League, then being relegated to the Championship and bouncing back at the first time of asking, there have rarely been any quiet moments at all.

Under Enzo Maresca last term, the Foxes had the most incredible season.

They won 13 of their first 14 Championship games, pushed Chelsea all the way in the FA Cup quarter-final and Jamie Vardy rolled back the years to return to his potent best to help the cause with 18 league goals.

Leicester looked on course to shatter Reading’s 106-point record for a long time, too, but seven defeats in the last 13 put paid to that dream and they had to settle for 97.

Their squad was, admittedly, too good for the second tier - as was Maresca, who was poached by Chelsea as Mauricio Pochettino’s replacement less than a month after the final day of the Championship season.

Steve Cooper’s six-month spell out of work came to an end when he was handed a three-year deal to replace Maresca at the King Power Stadium.

“His vision for the team, including his ability to develop players and implement a dynamic style of play, is very much aligned with our aspirations for the club," said Leicester chair Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha.

"As a leader, he has the ability to build on the strong relationship that has been forged between our fans and our team, strengthening a bond that will be vital to us re-establishing the club in the Premier League."

Many have suggested the summer transfer window hindered the Welshman from the start. Leicester spent £82.2 million, but mostly on young players with potential.

Leicester fell behind in five of their first six Premier League games and took three points along the way, but then won against Bournemouth and Southampton either side of the October international break, which had them looking upwards for the first time.

After the game at St Mary’s, where the Foxes came from 2-0 down to beat Saints 3-2, Cooper said: “We've gone back-to-back and we've got to take everything out of the game today, learn, continue to improve, continue to strive and we'll continue to get better as well."

Sadly for him, that was not the case - in the short-term at least. Leicester went four without a win after that and, after the latest result – a 2-1 loss to Maresca’s Chelsea – Cooper was sacked after five months in the job and just 14 competitive games.

The Gameplan

With Jordan Blackwell, Leicestershire Live

Jordan Blackwell, Leicester City correspondent for Leicestershire Live, explains how the Foxes are likely to set up on Saturday in the wake of manager Steve Cooper’s dismissal.

“I think it will be too soon for too many changes to be made, so I think it will be similar, but there may be a slight reversion towards how they played under Maresca last season,” Blackwell told us earlier this week.

“The feeling was that, coming into the Premier League, they could not play that possession-dominant style, but I think the players would quite like to play that way and I think they will give that a go against Brentford.

“They will try to keep more of the ball than they have done in previous games, and I think they will not seek long balls as much as they perhaps have done in recent weeks.

“Stephy Mavididi will probably come into the side and they will get their talented attacking players on the ball as often as possible. Jannik Vestergaard might come back into the team, too, as he is their best ball-playing defender.

“I think that will be the focus, because if a new manager comes in, it is going to be with not a lot of time to work with the squad, but the one thing they can do is just try and keep the ball a little bit better because that has been part of their downfall; the reason they have conceded so many shots is because they are just not keeping the ball well enough.”

Blackwell added: “Looking at the stats at the weekend, in the first 25 minutes they had one touch of the ball in Chelsea's half, so they are just putting themselves under pressure.

“If they can get players in the team that can keep the ball really well, that should help them at least a little bit.”

Last Premier League starting XI v Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Hermansen; Justin, Faes, Okoli, Kristiansen; Soumaré, Winks; McAteer, Ndidi, El Khannous; Vardy

Team News

Frank reveals key selection decision in pre-match press conference

Brentford head coach Thomas Frank revealed a key selection decision ahead of Leicester City’s visit to Gtech Community Stadium on Saturday.

Igor Thiago made his Premier League debut in the goalless draw with Everton last weekend, coming on during the second half at Goodison Park, but Frank confirmed the striker will not start on Saturday.

“He’s looking good,” said Frank.

“He played 70 minutes for the B team on Tuesday – 70 valuable minutes.

“He is ready to potentially start games, but he will not start tomorrow.

“We have a very good in-form striker in Yoane Wissa. He has seven goals – not many strikers have scored more than him in the Premier League, so he is doing very well. He is doing fantastic, and I am very pleased with him.”

Gustavo Nunes featured in a behind-closed-doors friendly against Cardiff earlier this month, but the Brazilian is unavailable for Saturday’s meeting with the Foxes.

Defenders Kristoffer Ajer (foot) and Rico Henry (knee) are also sidelined, while Aaron Hickey (hamstring) and Josh Dasilva (knee) are the west Londoners’ longer-term absentees.

Captain Christian Nørgaard has avoided a ban after the club successfully appealed his red card against the Toffees.

Match Officials

Oliver the man in the middle

Referee: Michael Oliver

Assistants: Stuart Burt and James Mainwaring

Fourth official: Darren Bond

VAR: Stuart Attwell

Michael Oliver was one of six English officials to oversee matches at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Oliver officiated three matches in Qatar, including the quarter-final between Croatia and Brazil.

The Northumberland-born referee’s most recent Brentford assignment was the Bees’ 4-1 defeat to Liverpool in February this year.

Oliver refereed 41 games last season, showing 153 yellow cards and six reds.

Last Meeting

Brentford 1 Leicester City 1 (Premier League, 18 March 2023)

Mathias Jensen scored for the fourth time in five home games to earn Brentford a point against Leicester City.

The midfielder’s deflected effort gave the Bees a deserved lead at the end of an entertaining opening 45 minutes at Gtech Community Stadium.

Harvey Barnes’ neat finish drew the Foxes level seven minutes after the restart and Brendan Rodgers’ side went onto enjoy the better of the second half without testing David Raya on his 150th appearance for Brentford.

Shandon Baptiste was sent off for two late bookings, but Brentford saw out the final moments with 10 players.