Tottenham vs. Brentford: Match Preview, Odds & Predictions

Tottenham Hotspur and Brentford, two London rivals, meet in Saturday's Premier League London derby after both teams came from behind to defeat lower-league opponents in the EFL Cup.

In a match against Coventry City, Ange Postecoglou's team scored twice but ultimately prevailed, while the Bees won 3-1 against Leyton Orient.

Previous Matches and Head-to-head

Just one day after firmly asserting that he "always" wins trophies in his second year of employment—a statement that is, for the time being, technically correct—Spurs coach Postecoglou was just minutes away from seeing the tragic demise of Tottenham's dreams of EFL Cup fame in Coventry.

Postecoglou was saved from shame by two brilliant late substitutes, Djed Spence and the much-maligned Brennan Johnson, who turned the game around for the lacklustre Lilywhites. If Brandon Thomas-Asante's goal had won it, the Lilywhites would have had few complaints.

Despite the dismal offensive performance, there is some optimism that Wednesday's win may be the turning point for Tottenham, who have been a ghost of their former selves since last year.

Even on Saturday, Tottenham's set-piece issues reappeared as Gabriel Magalhaes headed home a second-half corner, the 25th goal that Saturday's hosts have let in from dead-ball situations since last season's start. Arsenal, in contrast, were a weakened team that Tottenham lost to on their home field.

Now that they're in the dreaded 13th spot in the league thanks to their lacklustre start, Spurs will be looking to avoid losing three of their first five games of the new season for the first time since 2008, when Juande Ramos resigned after just eight games of that campaign.

Even though Brentford had a similarly tough time of it in their EFL Cup third-round match against Leyton Orient, who stunned the Bees faithful at the Gtech Community Stadium with an 11th-minute Brandon Cooper effort, their team finally found their stride in the final third in minute 88.

Thomas Frank's team just avoided a massive shock with two goals from Fabio Carvalho (formerly of Liverpool), Mikkel Damsgaard (a header), and Christian Norgaard (a precise shot).

With their 3-1 victory, the Bees extended their perfect home record this season at the Gtech Community Stadium. They have already beaten Crystal Palace and Southampton on home soil. However, Frank's squad now faces a third consecutive away match against one of the so-called 'Big Six'.

Brentford has faced tough opponents on the road this season, including Liverpool at Anfield and Manchester City at the Etihad. Last week, they almost stunned the champions before falling to a double from Erling Haaland.

In January, Frank's crop lost 3-2 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, continuing a run of four consecutive away losses in the North London derby from the previous season. On the other hand, Saturday afternoon should be jam-packed with entertainment, as the two London rivals have scored an incredible 17 goals in their past four encounters.

Tottenham x Brentford Team News

Postecoglou has acknowledged that Wilson Odobert's problem is severe, and this weekend might mean two more attacking absences for Tottenham since they were both substituted off in the win over Coventry.

Nobody knows how bad Werner hurt yet, but after Wednesday's performance, the German would have been out anyway; Johnson and Dejan Kulusevski are prepared to assault recalls.

Richarlison (unspecified) and Yves Bissouma (groin) are in the Tottenham locker room for treatment. However, Postecoglou hopes Bissouma's problem will disappear before he can play on Saturday.

Despite Brentford's healthy lineup heading into their midweek victory, the news that Yoane Wissa scored early for Etihad against the champions last week and will be out for a few months with an ankle injury is a devastating setback for the Ivan Toney-less visitors.

Wissa is the latest casualty in a lengthy list of injured players, including Gustavo Nunes (back), Mathias Jensen (calf), Igor Thiago (knee), Aaron Hickey (thigh), and Rico Henry (muscle). Henry was about to make a comeback after a long-term knee ailment when he had a new problem.

For the next several weeks, Bryan Mbeumo and Kevin Schade might start up front for Brentford in Wissa's absence. However, Wednesday's acrobatics by Carvalho may have given Frank some ideas for the starting lineup.

Our predictions

Tottenham to win @1.60 on Sky247.ng

Mark Flekken has made 22 saves this season, the most in the league. Thus, Tottenham should be fine with creating scoring opportunities despite its lacklustre offensive performance. Consequently, Postecoglou's players should break through once, and a backup defence can stave out a weakened Bees attack.

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