Brentford Form
The London club failed to make the most of a fixture list that handed them a run of matches against teams from the bottom half of the standings. After a gruelling win over Burnley (4:3), the team played out goalless draws with Bournemouth and Leeds, and then shared the points again with Wolverhampton Wanderers (2:2). On the one hand, the club are unbeaten in four straight matches, but at the same time they have been unable to close in on the top five, whom they trail by three points. What is more, the win over Burnley is their only victory in the last six league games (four draws and one defeat).
- No more than two goals were scored in seven of the club's previous 10 Premier League matches.
- At home, Brentford have been unable to win four straight league matches (two draws and two defeats).
- The team have failed to score in the first half in seven of their last 10 home Premier League games.
Potential Brentford Lineup (5-3-2)*
Caoimhin Kelleher – Keane Lewis-Potter, Nathan Collins, Ethan Pinnock, Sepp van den Berg, Michael Kayode – Jordan Henderson, Mathias Jensen, Yehor Yarmoliuk – Kevin Schade, Igor Thiago.
Midfielders Josh Dasilva, Fabio Carvalho and Antoni Milambo have been ruled out for the rest of the season. Midfielder Vitaly Janelt and defender Rico Henry are also sidelined through injury.
Everton Form
The Liverpool club have drawn level with Brentford on points, but trail their opponents only on goal difference. The team are closer than ever to securing European football, and this time there is even a chance of making the Champions League (soon fifth place will officially become a qualifying spot for this elite tournament). In the previous round, Everton pulled off a shock 3:0 home win over Chelsea. It was their third victory in the last four Premier League matches, with their only defeat coming away to Arsenal (0:2).
- The club have avoided defeat in eight of their previous 11 Premier League matches (five wins and three draws).
- Exactly two or three goals were scored in seven of Everton's last nine Premier League games.
- The Liverpool club have not conceded more than one goal in eight of their previous 11 away league matches.
Potential Everton Lineup (4-2-3-1)*
Jordan Pickford – James Tarkowski, Michael Keane, Jake O'Brien, Vitaliy Mykolenko – James Garner, Idrissa Gueye – Dwight McNeil, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Iliman Ndiaye – Beto Betuncal.
Forward Jack Grealish has been ruled out for the rest of the season with an injury.
Who Will Referee the Match
Farai Hallam (England)
Matches – 20 (the Premier League and the Championship, 2025/26);
Yellow cards shown (including second cautions) – 73;
Yellow cards per match – 3.7;
Red cards shown – 0;
Fouls per match – 22;
Penalties – 5%.
* For each team, the starting XI from their previous match in this competition is listed.
