Brentford

Matt Jones
BBC Sport journalist

After a slip against Brighton & Hove Albion last time out, surprise European hopefuls Brentford will be looking to get back on track when they visit relegation-threatened Burnley on Saturday (15:00 GMT) in the Premier League.

Despite the 2-0 defeat, Brentford are still in seventh spot in the table. There are seven teams within five points of Keith Andrews' side, though, meaning the congested mid-table could be mixed up significantly in the coming weeks.

As for Burnley, they need a huge upturn in form to pull themselves out of trouble. They are fighting, though, as evidenced by their last-gasp equaliser at Chelsea last weekend.

Clarets continue to fight

The draw at Stamford Bridge means Burnley are eight points away from safety and, while that does look to be a mountain to climb, there is some historical precedent for a team getting themselves out of a similar hole.

Portsmouth managed to survive in 2005–06 when they were eight points from safety with 11 games to play. West Bromwich Albion also did so in 2004–05, albeit they had two games in hand on their relegation rivals.

The Burnley players still seem to believe, too. That much was evident at Chelsea and in the previous Premier League fixture, when they bounced back from 2-0 down at Crystal Palace to win 3-2.

In fact, since their 2-2 draw at home to Manchester United, no team in the division has earned more points from losing positions than Scott Parker's side.

In their past 11 league games, Burnley have lost only four. Crucially, though, they have won just one. If they are to mirror the heroics of Portsmouth from 19 years ago, that is something they will need to remedy in the remaining weeks of the campaign.

Open encounter could suit the Bees

If Burnley are going to go on the front foot in search of wins and potentially leave space to be exploited on the counter-attack, that could suit Brentford and the way they play. Only Chelsea have scored more than Brentford's five goals this season from direct attacks.

Brentford have also put together the fewest build-ups - defined by Opta as an open-play sequence that contains 10 or more passes and either ends in a shot or has at least one touch in the box - in the league this season. The Bees have just 19, while Manchester City lead the way with 138.

Burnley are second-lowest in that category, and the numbers seem to suggest that this fixture could be one where the ball changes hands frequently.

Burnley (14.7%) and Brentford (14.5%) are the two teams with the highest long-pass percentage in the Premier League this season. Indeed, Burnley made 79 long passes in this season's reverse fixture between these two sides - the most by any team in a game in 2025–26.

The style has undoubtedly worked for Brentford and their star forward, Igor Thiago, who has plundered 17 goals already this season in the Premier League.

The Brazilian has hit his worst spell of the campaign heading into this fixture, though. Since scoring five goals in two games against Everton and then Sunderland earlier this year, Thiago's only strike in his last six games was a penalty in the away win at Newcastle United.

Brentford boss Keith Andrews has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game against Burnley at Turf Moor (15:00 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Andrews said Michael Kayode is back in training and will be "in and around" the matchday squad tomorrow, while Aaron Hickey is a doubt after being withdrawn in last weekend's defeat to Brighton and the club are "not entirely sure he's going be ready for tomorrow".

• Josh Dasilva has returned to training: "We don't want to put too much pressure on that, but equally, we're very excited. He's someone that I hold in the highest regard."

• On signing a new deal keeping him at the club until 2032: "I feel very honoured. The people I work with have entrusted me to take the club forward as the face of it because it's obviously not just me. I love being at this club, I love the challenges it brings and the level we are at. What we need to do to not just survive but thrive at this level is right up my street."

• Has the challenge changed since his appointment?: "I haven't thought much about that but I don't think so. It's just continuing to evolve and be open-minded about everything and how we can get better. I don't think anything has changed in the short-term. Naturally at the end of the season you can take a step back and scrutinise."

• Reflecting on his time in charge so far, Andrews said: "It's felt quick the chapter I suppose. A lot has happened. I've loved it, even when it was hard at the start. From that I think we've continued to grow and evolve pretty nicely. We're a really close-knit group of staff and players which I'm really big on but you can't just expect to exist and it be maintained unless you work at it. We're all from a place of humility but are really hungry to achieve things."

• On the Bees' culture: "It is embedded in the club and is part of the reason I wanted to come here. The reality is in the summer there was so much change that naturally things can start to deviate a little bit. It creates a little bit of uncertainty, like me for example, but that was my first port of call - to maintain what had been built over many years."

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Image source, Getty Images

We asked for your views on Keith Andrews extending his stint as Brentford's head coach until 2032.

Here are some of your comments:

Ruby: It's crazy that we thought that with Thomas Frank we reached our ceiling but this season Keith Andrews has taken us above and beyond anything we could have dreamed of when we arrived in the Premier League. Absolutely amazing job, thank you. Come on you bees!

David: Great news for all fans as he gains more experience in the Premier League. The club will move forward as a fantastically-run club.

Gavin: As ever a shrewd bit of business. Andrews' success has obviously not gone unnoticed elsewhere. In the event of him being poached by bigger clubs in the near future Brentford will get some renumeration. On the whole he has been exceptional, seemingly learning from his mistakes and hopefully taking the club to new heights. Congratulations Keith you've earned your stripes.

Graham: Love Keith - he's done everything right and has a fantastically down to earth and relentless spirit. That said, the success of the club is much more to do with the club than any one person.

Keith: It's been a fantastic first two-thirds of the season and Keith Andrews has to take a lot of responsibility for that. I would've waited until the end of the season to give him a new contract

Barry: Something tells me Keith won't last as long as Thomas Frank at Brentford. But, as ever, we trust in Benham, Giles and co. I suspect we will make money from this deal when Andrews moves on to another club in the future, rather than costing us from an early termination. It also projects positivity and is another lesson that other Premier League clubs will want to copy (but probably won't).

Paul: While Andrews is doing a tremendous job, it does seem a very long contract. God forbid if results next season do not go to plan it'll be very expensive to lay him off.

Image source, Getty Images

Brentford director of football Phil Giles says Keith Andrews is "a really good fit for the club" after the Bees head coach signed a contract extension until 2032.

Since taking over from Thomas Frank in the summer, Andrews has taken Brentford to seventh in the league and into the FA Cup fifth round after reaching the new year with a club-record Premier League points total.

"When Keith accepted the job last summer, he signed a three-year contract, but the intention was always that we'd review this at the earliest opportunity," said Giles.

"Given our progress this season, I'm really happy that we have agreed this extension within the first nine months.

"Keith has done an outstanding job, the team are playing well and the things we thought we could be better at this season have all improved.

"He is a really good fit for the club and the way we like to work, as he is able to bring the best out of both players and staff alike.

"Everyone at Brentford will be pleased to hear that Keith will be with us for many years to come, and I'm excited by what we can all achieve together in the coming seasons."

Bees fans, what are your thoughts on Andrews' new deal? How do you rate his time in charge so far? And what are your hopes for the future under him?

Get in touch with your views here

And come back on Friday to see a selection of your replies

Eintracht Frankfurt's 22-year-old Germany defender Nnamdi Collins is the subject of interest from Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester City, Newcastle, Brighton and Brentford. (Teamtalk), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Thursday's full gossip column

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Ian Westbrook
Fan writer

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The disappointing defeat by Brighton was also possibly our last Saturday 3pm home kick-off of the season.

After this Saturday's fixture at Burnley, our four games in March are all at night.

We have two scheduled home league matches in April - against Everton and Fulham - both of which could move for TV - and then our final two home fixtures in May, West Ham, another which might get switched, and Crystal Palace, which is already on a Sunday.

The constant changing of fixtures - while an accepted downside of being in the Premier League - makes it harder for many people to get to games.

Those who live a distance from the Gtech, people with school-age children and others with different commitments end up missing matches which they would have been at otherwise.

I know we are not the only fans in this position, and I still enjoy being in the Premier League, but it changes the whole football-watching experience.

The Brighton game was only our fourth 3pm Saturday home match of the season out of 14 and it felt like a case of the old cliche of "after the Lord Mayor's show".

After our brilliant run of seven points from the games against Aston Villa, Newcastle and Arsenal - maybe it was inevitable that we would come a cropper against Brighton.

To be fair, they were sharper than us throughout and took their chances when they came. Despite a better second half, we were definitely not at our best.

The other worrying thing was seeing Aaron Hickey limping off after being the victim of a bad tackle. Given his injury record, and especially with the World Cup coming up, let's hope he isn't badly hurt.

At least we saw a Premier League record set, with James Milner becoming the competition's highest appearance-maker - something to remember the day by.

Find more from Ian Westbrook at Beesotted podcast, external

Mark Scott
Final Score reporter

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Brentford have certainly been a lot more hit than miss this season, but some unexpected poor showings of late will be something Keith Andrews will want to get to the bottom of.

I saw them outplay Arsenal at Gtech Stadium recently, but have also witnessed two flat showings there in the past month against struggling sides in the shape of Nottingham Forest and Brighton - with both of those games ending in 2-0 defeats for the Bees.

It has still been an impressive campaign for the club - and of course Andrews in particular - but there may be just a very slight concern as to why they have suffered two underwhelming displays in fairly quick succession at home, having previously been so strong on their own patch.

We asked for your thoughts after Saturday's Premier League game between Brentford and Brighton.

Here are some of your comments:

Brentford fans

Sam: Classic Brentford, that's all I can say. Beat Aston Villa away with 10 men, beat Newcastle brilliantly, draw deservedly against the league leaders Arsenal, then produce a hopeless, tame and tired performance to deservedly get beaten by a Brighton side that hadn't won in six beforehand. A game to forget and move on from, and I hope for a reaction against Burnley next week.

Ian: Worst Brentford of the season. Poor all round, individual errors, lack of a plan B. Brighton had a clear plan and played their hearts out.

Rob: A very disappointing display from Bees. We were second best to Brighton at everything and they deserved their win. I wish the Bees would send on Romelle Donovan much earlier and also Kaye Furo when the forward line is not clicking. Congratulations to James Milner - a great pro.

Tim: Lacklustre from the off, allowing Brighton to dictate the game and emerge worthy winners. Tactics were plainly wrong; ignoring the midfield in favour of aimless wing play and Nathan Collins' error just put the cherry on the cake. At least Yehor Yarmolyuk and Mikkel Damsgaard added a bit of industry and invention but this was a poor, poor showing.

Brighton fans

ArrJay: This was a much better display by the Seagulls than we've seen for ages. Can the manager sustain it? He hasn't been able to in the past but we can live in hope that the club has turned a corner that has been oh so elusive.

Mick: A competent, composed and mature display. We looked balanced with a plan, which has been missing over the past weeks. All the players knew their role. More performances like this and Europe is not beyond us.

Pedro: Before the match, I feared a loss, expected a draw and hoped for a win. We should be celebrating three points, but in reality, we're just relieved to halt the decline.

Darren: As a lifelong Brighton fan, it's been a tough few months. However, what a performance - very proud of the boys and the whole team. Let's hope a bit of confidence will push the team on to a great end to the season.

Pundits Wayne Rooney and Micah Richards join host Mark Chapman to bring you the action and talking points from Saturday's Premier League fixtures.

Watch on BBC iPlayer here

And listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Chelsea 1-1 Burnley

• Aston Villa 1-1 Leeds

• West Ham 1-1 Bournemouth

Matthew Howarth
BBC Sport journalist

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Having seen their side collect more points in their last 10 Premier League games than any other team in the division, Brentford fans could have been forgiven for expecting another routine home victory against out-of-sorts Brighton.

The Bees supporters were left disappointed however as Keith Andrews' team missed the chance to move above Liverpool ahead of the champions' trip to Nottingham Forest on Sunday.

Thiago perhaps should have given the hosts the lead after expertly controlling Jordan Henderson's lofted pass in the first half, but a Brentford goal at that stage would have flattered the Brentford boss and his players.

Andrews introduced Kevin Schade and Yehor Yarmoliuk at half-time in a bid to inject some much-needed energy and invention into his side, but there was little improvement from the hosts in the second half.

Damsgaard failed to trouble Brighton goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen with a tame lob late in the second half, while Dango Ouattara hooked a shot over the crossbar following a free-kick.

Verbruggen also produced a fine save late on to prevent Joel Veltman turning a low cross into his own net, but there was little else for the home fans to shout about as Brentford slipped to just their third home league defeat of the campaign.

Brentford boss Keith Andrews speaking to Match of the Day: "I thought first half we didn't reach the levels we have done pretty consistently. We have been performing at a high level and today we didn't do that. Second half was a big improvement. We showed a lot in the second half. We couldn't quite take the opportunity early enough that would cause them problems. Overall it's a disappointing day."

On Nathan Collins' error: "Mistakes are part and parcel of the game. I'm ok with things like that, as long as we learn from why we have performed like we did in the first half and continue to grow as a group."

On what he said to players after the game: "My overall message was we have been the best team in this league for the last 10 games and 45 minutes of football won't define what we have done or what we will do going forward."

Did you know?

• Brentford have lost two of their last three home Premier League games, as many defeats as in their previous 15 at the Brentford Community Stadium.

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

Have your say on Brentford's performance

What did you make of Brighton's display?

Come back on Monday for a selection of your replies

Image source, BBC Sport

Brentford manager Keith Andrews makes two changes to the Bees side that started the 1-1 Premier League draw with Arsenal nine days ago.

Aaron Hickey and Jordan Henderson come into the side. Yehor Yarmoliuk drops to the bench, while Michael Kayode misses out altogether.

Brentford XI: Kelleher, Hickey, Ajer, Van den Berg, Henry, Henderson, Yanelt, Ouattara, Jensen, Lewis-Potter, Thiago

Subs: Valdimarson, Pinnock, Schade, Nelson, Yarmoliuk, Collins, Damsgaard, Donovan, Furo

James Milner makes his 654th Premier League appearance as Brighton make two alterations to the team that started the 1-0 defeat at Aston Villa in their last league game.

Milner is joined in the starting XI by Mats Wieffer, with Carlos Baleba and Joel Veltman named on the bench.

Brighton XI: Verbruggen, Wieffer, Van Hecke, Dunk, Kadioglu, Gross, Milner, Hinshelwood, Gomez, Welbeck, Mitoma

Subs: Steele, Rutter, Minteh, Baleba, Kastoulas, Boscagli, De Buyper, Veltman, Howell

Image source, BBC Sport

There are five games in the Premier League on Saturday and BBC Sport will bring you every moment.

• Aston Villa v Leeds - listen on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

• Brentford v Brighton

• Chelsea v Burnley - listen on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 2

• West Ham v Bournemouth (17:30) - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Manchester City v Newcastle (20:00)

Kick-off times 15:00 GMT unless stated

Follow all of the action and reaction here

You can also listen to today's 5 Live Premier League commentaries on most smart speakers. Just say "ask BBC Sounds to Aston Villa v Leeds" or "ask BBC Sounds to play West Ham v Bournemouth", for instance.

Find out more about how to listen to Premier League football on BBC Sounds

Noel Sliney
BBC Sport senior journalist

In-form Brentford continue their unexpected push for European qualification on Saturday (15:00 GMT) when they host a Brighton side sliding down the league table.

Current Premier League pacesetters

Two points off the top six and into the FA Cup fifth round for only the second time in 20 seasons, Brentford are making a mockery of last summer's widespread predictions of struggle.

A deserved draw against league leaders Arsenal in their most recent top-flight fixture means Brentford have earned 20 points from their past 10 matches – the most of any side, with the Gunners and both Manchester clubs a point behind.

In doing so, Brentford have doubled their tally for the season to 40 points. That's just one adrift of their highest figure after 26 Premier League games, set in 2022-23 when they ended the campaign with a club record of 59 points.

This season's form has been underpinned by having the division's sixth-best home record. In fact, last April's 4-2 victory over Brighton started a run of 31 points from their past 16 league matches at the Gtech Community Stadium.

Goal-shy Albion

In contrast to Saturday's hosts, Brighton are out of the FA Cup and horribly out of form. Their only win in 13 Premier League games since December came against Burnley, with no side managing fewer victories during that period.

Last weekend's FA Cup exit against Liverpool was a third straight defeat without scoring. Brighton failed to take their chances during that tie, with Diego Gomez and Lewis Dunk both spurning good opportunities to equalise at Anfield.

Albion are too often struggling to mount an attacking threat. In Premier League games this season, they are averaging 13 shots, four shots on target and 27 touches in the opposition penalty area – all their lowest averages since 2021-22.

Milner time?

On a more welcome note, 40-year-old James Milner could make an outright record 654th Premier League appearance, surpassing Gareth Barry's mark. Milner's top-flight debut in November 2002 came a day after Brentford lost away to Crewe in the third tier.

If he plays, Milner might finally face the only person with at least 100 Premier League appearances during the past 24 seasons who he has never played with or against – Brentford defender Nathan Collins.

I covered Brentford in the FA Cup tie at Macclesfield on Monday and they were completely underwhelming.

I know they were on a plastic pitch but they couldn't really find their flow and needed an own goal to progress.

Still, the Bees have been in much better form in the Premier League - in stark contrast to Brighton.

Fabian Hurzeler's side have won only one of their past 13 league games in a poor run going back to the start of December, and it is not impossible they could get dragged into the relegation scrap.

I can see this one being close but Brentford will have Kevin Schade back from suspension, while Igor Thiago will also return after being rested against Macclesfield - and those two should make the difference.

Sutton's prediction: 1-0

Read the full predictions and have your say here

Flora Snelson
BBC Sport journalist

Brentford boss Keith Andrews has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game against Brighton and Hove Albion at the Gtech Community Stadium (kick-off 15:00 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Andrews' squad is in "a pretty good place" and he has no fresh injury concerns.

• His Macclesfield dressing room visit "wasn't planned" but Andrews felt it was "the right thing to do".

• On the talk around his Macclesfield gesture: "I think it's a bit sad that you do something a bit nice or normal... Obviously, I wasn't aware that there's a camera in the dressing room. It's more of an indictment of where we are if we think that's something as out of the ordinary. I wouldn't, personally."

• When asked whether breaking the Bees' Premier League points record is achievable, he said: "I don't know, I just know that we have a group that are very, very hungry to achieve and want to strive and get better."

• On Brighton: "I have a lot of respect for Fabian [Hurzeler]. There's a lot of fine margins in games, their results probably haven't been fair, overall. It's going to be a tricky game and we'll have to earn the result."

• On James Milner, who could break the all-time Premier League appearance record on Saturday: "It's been staggering, the longevity, the quality, the level of clubs he's played at and his impact."

• On how Andrews has united his players: "I'm not a very good gardener, but it's like your garden - you've got to take care of it, you can't take it for granted. Communicate, treat people with respect, have standards. I don't think it's common to have the dressing room that we have."

• On his relationship with club owner Matthew Benham: "Matt is an amazing person. He's ultimately a fan who wants his club to do well. Our communication is pretty consistent, I enjoy his company. He's certainly not an over-imposing owner, he has a simple way of doing things - common sense is prevalent here. We speak very openly about where we're at and where we want to get to."

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Simon Stone
Chief football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

So why do Matt Benham and Brentford keep getting things so right?

The decision to appoint Keith Andrews sums things up neatly.

Externally it was viewed as a high-risk move, but internally it was seen as one of the lower-risk options.

Club sources are wary of shouting about their success from the rooftops because nothing is certain in football, but their reasoning around Andrews taking over was rock solid.

Firstly, he was already at the club. Senior staff knew him, they knew his strengths and weaknesses and what they were likely to get. He knew them. He understood the club model and had already bought into it.

What Brentford do not want is a new manager who comes into the club and starts telling everyone what they view as the best way to run it.

Brentford have a well-established model that has brought them success. There was no desire or intention to deviate from it. Having Andrews at the helm brought the continuity that guarded against a dramatic collapse.

That is not to say Andrews' presence is an irrelevance. On the contrary, the belief is he has done an excellent job and if he had not, the evidence would be clear.

However, he has slotted into a well-established machine.

Contrast that with Thomas Frank at Tottenham, who followed on from Ange Postecoglou, Antonio Conte, Nuno Espirito Santo and Jose Mourinho.

It is fair to ask whether all those individuals failed through faults of their own - or did they struggle because of the lack of a wider strategy, given all five men approach the game in a different way?

The expectations at Brentford - who host Brighton on Sunday - are also totally different compared to Tottenham.

Frank took over a side that had just won a major European competition and had ambitions to return to the level that produced 11 top-five finishes in the past 16 seasons.

Brentford, by contract, are already operating at a level higher than they have been for virtually their entire existence.

No club should be swayed by external noise, but it is easier when the messages coming back are supportive rather than hostile.

Even after a tricky start to the season, when Brentford collected just four points from their opening five games and were 17th, fans were minded to trust those running the club rather than turn their ire on them.

Common sense, perhaps.

But if it was that easy, everyone would do it. Wouldn't they?

Read more analysis on Brentford's model here

Image source, Getty Images

Michael Kayode's long throw has become something of a footballing landmark over recent months, but the Brentford defender might rarely have felt nerves or pressure quite like a throw-in launched at an empty net at the Gtech Community Stadium.

Kayode, 21, used the novelty of his long throw to reveal the sex of his baby, while his partner watched on.

As the ball hits the net, fireworks blast from the crossbar, while pink-coloured smoke signifies a baby girl is on her way.

Kayode posted the video on Instagram and wrote:, external "We can't wait to see you! It's a dream come true to have been able to make all this happen in a stadium and with a club that mean so much to me!"

Vitaly Janelt replied the baby would be the "next throw-in generation", while Brentford and a host of the club's players wished the full-back and his partner congratulations.

If the 2025-26 season brought direct football back into fashion, Kayode's video and the baby girl who follows may just prove to be landmark moments in this long throw era.