Gameweek 35 of the 2025/26 Premier League season will continue on Saturday with four games. The latest round of fixtures will begin on Friday with the match between Leeds United and Burnley at Elland Road before resuming on the weekend with three simultaneous fixtures, including Brentford vs West Ham United at the Gtech Community Stadium.
Brentford’s fairytale run under Keith Andrews this season is threatening to end without European qualificaiton. The Bees have been one of the surprise packages in the Premier League, but they have failed to win their last six games, although only one has ended in defeat (D5). That loss came earlier this week, as Manchester United clinched a narrow 2-1 win at Old Trafford.
On the other hand, Nuno Espirito Santo is masterminding another great escape from a relegation battle. While the Hammers are not out of the woods yet, their three-match unbeaten run (W2 D1) has lifted them two points ahead of 18th-placed Tottenham Hotspur. However, they need to continue outdoing their London rivals to secure a place in the Premier League for another season.
The reverse fixture ended in a 2-0 win for Brentford, with Igor Thiago and Mathias Jensen finding the back of the net. The Hard Tackle looks closer at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Kelleher; Kayode, van den Berg, Collins, Lewis-Potter; Jensen, Yarmolyuk; Ouattara, Damsgaard, Schade; Thiago
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Hermansen; Walker-Peters, Disasi, Mavropanos, Diouf; Fernandes, Soucek; Bowen, Pablo, Summerville; Castellanos
While Jarrod Bowen, Valentin Castellanos, and Kevin Schade were viable candidates for this section, we have picked Igor Thiago as the Player to Watch for Saturday’s Premier League clash between Brentford and West Ham United at the Gtech Community Stadium.
Of Igor Thiago’s 21 Premier League goals this season, only one has come in a London derby. His shot conversion rate in London derbies is 5% (1 goal from 21 shots), compared to 36% against non-London teams (20 goals from 55 shots). So, the Brazilian will be eager to correct that record and guide his team back to winning ways.
This match has the makings of an entertaining stalemate. With Brentford struggling to win games and failing to get their better of London rivals, West Ham will sense an opportunity to spring a surprise and pick three crucial points.
However, the Hammers have conceded in all nine Premier League games against Brentford, only facing Ipswich Town more without ever keeping a clean sheet (10).
