Mikel Arteta has warned that Arsenal ‘always suffer’ against Brentford ahead of the two sides meeting at the Emirates in the Premier League on Saturday.
The Gunners head into the clash in remarkable form having produced 24 goals in their last five top-flight games – including Monday’s 6-0 win at Sheffield United.
Arsenal have won their last seven Premier League matches having bounced back from a dip in December as they look to secure their first top-flight title since 2004.
But Arteta is worried about Thomas Frank’s side, who held Chelsea to a 2-2 draw last time out and have the likes of Ivan Toney and Neal Maupay in their squad.
Toney has been heavily linked with a move to Arsenal and is considered one of the Premier League’s top strikers while Maupay has built up a reputation of being able to wind-up opposition teams with his mind games.
Brentford took home a point when they faced Arsenal at the Emirates last term following an excellent away performance as the Gunners eventually missed out on the title to Manchester City despite topping the table for 248 days.
Speaking ahead of the two sides locking horns once again this weekend, Arteta said: ‘Every point that we left [last season] hurts.
‘It’s still there and that’s it. But we have a lot to play for. We know the difficulty of the match. We always suffer against Brentford.’
The Bees also beat Arsenal in the first game of the 2021-22 campaign after their promotion from the Championship the season before.
Quizzed about the importance of securing three points against Brentford, with fellow title rivals City and Liverpool set to play each other, Arteta added: ‘That’s the only thing we can control.
‘Perform well and play better than them. If we do that, on Sunday it’s a beautiful game to watch [between Man City and Liverpool]. I can’t control it.
‘Privately and publicly I have no preference because it’s nothing to do with me.’
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