Brentford will try to score less than 30 seconds after kickoff for the third week running, only this time maybe they can protect an early lead and snap their two-game skid, when they host West Ham in west London on Saturday.
WATCH BRENTFORD vs WEST HAM LIVE
Yoane Wissa got the Bee off the mark in 22 seconds against Manchester City two weeks ago, and Bryan Mbeumo did the same against Tottenham last weekend — though he needed an extra second or two. It didn’t help matters that they were away from home in both games, tasked with the impossible: defend a one-goal lead for 89 minutes against two of the most aggressive attacking teams in the world. To that point, no side in the Premier League has dropped more points (36) from a winning position since the start of last season (Nottingham Forest second, with 32). Better times could lie ahead after facing a trio of top-five finishers in their first five games of the season, though injuries are once again starting to pile up, as they tend to do for Thomas Frank’s side.
Meanwhile, Julen Lopetegui is already facing scrutiny after West Ham lost their opening three home league games for the first time in club history. Despite the Hammers’ last two managers (Lopetegui and David Moyes) being known as defensive-minded pragmatists, West Ham have conceded five more goals (53) than any other side in the PL (Wolves) during the calendar year 2024. To make Saturday’s matchup even worse, no side in the PL has conceded more goals in the opening five minutes of games in 2024; West Ham have conceded five, no other side has conceded more than two.
How to watch Brentford vs West Ham live, stream link and start time
Kick off time: 10 am ET Saturday (September 28)
Venue: Gtech Community Stadium
TV Channel: USA Network
Streaming: Watch live on NBC.com
Brentford focus, team news
Wissa is expected to be out until November with an ankle injury, while summer signings Gustavo Nunes (back) and Igor Thiago (knee) won’t be back until at least October and “late 2024,” respectively. Mbeumo has scored four of Brentford’s seven Premier League goals this season; Wissa has scored the other three. Fabio Carvalho made his first PL start for Brentford last weekend and will likely retain his place going forward given the rash of injuries to attacking players.
OUT: Josh Dasilva (knee), Rico Henry (knee), Aaron Hickey (thigh), Igor Thiago (knee), Gustavo Nunes (lower back), Mathias Jensen (calf), Yoane Wissa (ankle) | QUESTIONABLE: Christian Norgaard (undisclosed)
West Ham focus, team news
OUT: Edson Alvarez (suspension) | QUESTIONABLE: Niclas Fullkrug (thigh)
Brentford vs West Ham prediction
Brentford have beaten West Ham five of six times they met in the PL, and it’s little wonder considering they’re a nightmare to play against. West Ham already struggle with the ball, and Brentford will make matters much worse when they press. Brentford 2-1 West Ham.