Brentford vs Leeds United predictions: Can Daniel Farke sure travel sickness?
In a parallel universe where results reflected pre-match odds, Leeds were beaten heavily at home by Chelsea and Liverpool and boss Daniel Farke was given his marching orders.
But the reality of last week’s two matches was very different. The Whites scored a deserved 3-1 victory over Chelsea and then fought back from 2-0 down to show great heart and nick a 3-3 draw with Liverpool.
Those four points in front of two bouncing Elland Road crowds pulled Leeds out of the relegation zone and into 16th spot.
Farke’s next task is to try and get a better tune out of his team on the road.
Plenty of sides are finding that tough this season and Brentford is proving one of the hardest places to go to.
New boss Keith Andrews has turned the Gtech into something of a fortress and only the top three have registered more home wins than Brentford’s five.
Overall, the Bees have taken 16 points out of 21 in front of their home fans, the only defeat coming via a narrow 1-0 loss to second-placed Manchester City.
How to watch Brentford v Leeds
Brentford v Leeds kicks off at 16.30 GMT on Sunday, December 14 at the Gtech Community Stadium.
The game will be shown live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League, with coverage starting from 4pm.
BBC Radio 5 Live will provide full match commentary.
Brentford team news
Brentford will be without Kevin Schade who needs to serve a suspension after picking up his fifth booking of the season against Tottenham.
The main injury news concerns Reiss Nelson, who missed the Spurs trip with a knock. Andrews is hopeful the winger will have recovered in time.
The Bees boss will be glad to have both attackers available over the Christmas period as Dango Ouattara is set to depart for the Africa Cup of Nations next week.
Brentford expected line-up
(4-2-3-1) Kelleher; Kayode, Ajer, Collins, Van den Berg; Henderson Jensen; Damsgaard, Nelson, Ouattara, Thiago.
Leeds team news
Leeds have struggled on the road and Farke will once again be without two players who could have helped change that poor record: midfielder Sean Longstaff and pacy forward Dan James.
Japanese midfielder Ao Tanaka scored a last-gasp equaliser against Liverpool and will be pushing for a start after being on the bench for Leeds’ last two games.
In attack, Lukas Nmecha has trained again and the German should be fit to play alongside Dominic Calvert-Lewin in attack as Farke sticks with a 3-5-2.
Leeds expected line-up
(3-5-2) Perri; Rodon, Bijol, Struijk; Bogle, Tanaka, Ampadu, Stach, Gudmundsson; Calvert-Lewin, Nmecha.
Brentford v Leeds stats
– Brentford have won just one of their four Premier League games against Leeds (D2 L1), beating them 5-2 at home in September 2022.
– Leeds have won just one of their last 12 away league games against Brentford (D4 L7), beating them 2-1 on the final day of the 2021-22 campaign to preserve their Premier League status.
– Leeds have lost their last nine Premier League games in London, with their last victory coming at Brentford in May 2022.
– Leeds have netted three goals in each of their last two Premier League matches (3-1 v Chelsea, 3-3 v Liverpool), as many times as they’d done so in their previous 37 combined.
– Leeds have lost their last eight Premier League matches played on Sundays, conceding 24 goals.
– Dominic Calvert-Lewin has scored in three consecutive Premier League appearances for Leeds, only once having a longer scoring streak in the competition.
– Brentford’s Igor Thiago has scored seven goals in his last five home Premier League appearances, scoring a penalty in each of his last three.
Brentford v Leeds predictions
A trip south to Brentford has some happy memories for Leeds fans after their final-day great escape there three years ago.
And after taking four points in the games against Chelsea and Liverpool, confidence will be much improved.
But this is basically a contest between an excellent home team and a poor away team. In which case, Brentford at around even money (1/1) has to be the bet.
Only Manchester City and Chelsea have left the Gtech with anything while Brentford have beaten Aston Villa, Manchester United, Liverpool, Newcastle and Burnley.
In each of their last four home wins, Brentford have scored three goals so that looks a reasonable expectation once more – especially as Leeds have conceded three times in four of their last six matches and in each of their last three road trips (Brighton, Forest and Man City).
Brentford to score Over 2.5 Goals is an attractive 16/5.
