The English Premier League resumes after the World Cup break when Brentford play host to Tottenham Hotspur in the opening match of match week 17. Both teams sit in the top half of the table, with Spurs up in the fourth place and the Bees in the tenth place.
Brentford have won four, drawn seven, and lost four matches this season. They have managed to take one point from seven games, and this is one of the reasons why the Bees are sitting in the top half. The home team has scored 23 goals with an average xG rate of 1.55. They conceded 25 goals with an average xGA rate of 1.53. Brentford are coming after a famous 2-1 away win at the defending champions.
Tottenham Hotspur have won nine, drawn two, and lost four matches this season. They have scored 31 goals and conceded 21 in total. The average xG rate of the team is 1.76, while their xGA rate is 1.17. Spurs have only won two of their last five games. Antonio Conte will be hungry for three points in this match.
The above viz shows the percentile rank of both teams compared with each other as well as with other teams in the league. It can be observed that the Spurs have a better percentile rank than their opponents. They have been the better team in the league and look like a top-four contender. The Bees have performed decently but have managed to take points away from big teams. This will be a tough test for Spurs.
Tottenham Hotspur are a very efficient side when it comes to the attacking department. Spurs create 27.8 positional attacks and 2.93 counterattacks per match. They have high efficiency in both departments. Spurs are a high-counterattacking side, but they are unlikely to sit back in this match. Brentford will be the side that is likely to attack more on the counter.
The Bees average 24.5 positional attacks and 1.6 counterattacks. They created four in the last match and were able to score a goal from them. One of the drawbacks for them is their efficiency in these attacks.
Brentford takes 9.5 shots per match and have an accuracy rate of 42.7%. Spurs, on the other hand, take 13.5 shots per match and have an accuracy rate of 41.9%. The above viz shows that these teams have a high xG per shot in the top division. They get into good goal-scoring positions. It will be interesting to see how these two teams go against each other.
Key players
This will be a battle between two English strikers. Ivan Toney is enjoying his time in the English Premier League and has ten goals to his name this season. The striker likes to get into dangerous attacking areas and score goals. He scored a brace against Manchester City and will be hungry to add more in this match.
Harry Kane is looking to catch Erling Haaland in the golden boot race. The English striker has 12 goals to his name and this is his chance to add more. Kane also likes to get into dangerous attacking areas and score his goals. He is a menace inside the opposition penalty box.
Team news
Kristoffer Ajer, Aaron Hickey, Pontus Jansson, Thomas Strakosha, and Shandon Baptiste are returning to full fitness for the Bees.
Spurs will be without Richarlison and Rodrigo Bentacur for this fixture.
Tottenham Hotspur must win this game in order to stay in the title race. They have lost momentum in the last few matches, and Antonio Conte will be hoping that their luck turns around. Brentford, on the other hand, will be high on confidence and look to cause an upset. Tottenham will have a difficult trip away from home.
Visuals via TFA data viz engine
