Bees still looking to get their buzz back in the league ahead of Preston clash

Brentford will look to replicate their form in the Carabao Cup ahead of the visit of Preston to the new Brentford Community Stadium.

The West London side made history during midweek as they reached the Quarter final of the Carabao Cup for the first time in their history, knocking out local rivals Fulham in the process.

However, they’ve made a rather slow start in the league, collecting just four points from a possible nine. 

Uncertainty has definitely played a role in their slow start. The future of key players such as David Raya and Said Benrahma has clouded the club over the summer. Arsenal are rumoured to have had a number of bids for Raya rejected but he has since signed a new long term contract to stay in West London which will come as a relief to the Brentford supporters.

Talisman Benrahma missed the first five games of the campaign, also due to uncertainty with the likes of West Ham, Crystal Palace and Aston Villa all after him. However, Brentford’s stance has not changed. Their asking price for the Algerian is rumoured to be £25 Million and no team has matched that price thus far. With Monday’s deadline day looming we are seemingly no closer to knowing whether he’ll stay or go.  After his sensational performance against Fulham in the cup, it would not come as a surprise if teams came back in for the silky winger, so it’s one worth keeping an eye on.

When asked whether he was confident that Benrahma will stay, Thomas Frank said:

“Am I confident he will stay? I’m confident that I would love him to stay, and I would love to have him,” said Frank.

“But I don’t know. Honestly. If the price is right we are open to selling, but if not we will be happy for him to stay.

“Either we are going to get a top price or we are going to keep one of the best players in the Championship. Has he added a few million to his price? 100 per cent!”

A hangover from the devastating defeat in Wembley could also be at fault. Having reached the play-off final for the first time, they hoped to open the new stadium with a Premier League fixture but it wasn’t to be. Whether that still plays in the mind of some of the players will remain unanswered.

 The Bees do also have a history of starting the season slowly having not won a single game from their opening five games last season. 

Visiting the new stadium will be Preston who are not in great form themselves, picking up a single point from their opening three. The sides last met in July when the Bees edged out a 1-0 victory thanks to Ollie Watkins’ goal.

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