Brentford manager Thomas Frank is confident his high-flying side can beat Premier League leaders Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday.
The Bees climbed to seventh following a 3-0 win over Southampton and they are in the mix for European qualification as Arsenal will be looking to bounce back from their 1-0 defeat at Everton, but Frank has warned the leaders that Brentford are full of belief.
Frank, whose side are unbeaten in nine Premier League matches, said: “We have confidence — we believe we can go there and win. We are on this run of form where almost every player on the pitch is in a fantastic place.
“We have confidence — we believe we can go there and win,” Frank told reporters (via the Evening Standard). “We are on this run of form where almost every player on the pitch is in a fantastic place. “We need to work very hard to go to the Emirates against the best team in the League. If we’re not on it, we could lose 4–0.
“They have been fantastic this season, and at the Emirates, they have performed so well. At home, they’ve been frightening. Brentford climbed to seventh place in the league table following their victory over Southampton, and they are in the mix for European qualification.
They will head to the Emirates brimming with confidence from their unbeaten run, but Frank will also be wary of Arsenal’s home form. The Gunners lost to Everton last weekend, but they are one of only two sides, including Newcastle United, who are yet to suffer defeat on home turf this season.
Despite their impressive form, Frank believes talks of European qualification are premature and insists his side will need their best-ever performances to claim a win at Arsenal.
“The tempo and intensity and quality is a different class,” he added. “They’ve 100 percent been the best team so far in the Premier League. “If we want to win the game, we need to [give] the best performance we have done, maybe in [our] total Premier League [existence]. “We’re unbeaten in nine games, and I’m pleased that we’re seventh, but we know it’s only a snapshot. The biggest snapshot is after 38 games.”
While there are no outward signs of panic after losing at Goodison Park last week, the reaction against an upwardly-mobile Brentford outfit will send a message to City. Should they overcome recent disappointment and roar back into winning ways, Arsenal will extend their lead over Manchester City at the top of the Premier League to eight points, ahead of potential showdown at Emirates next week. The Bees, meanwhile, are chasing European qualification and have been the League’s form side of late.
