Brentford have had a tough couple of weeks and they start 2025 with a testing Premier League home fixture against Arsenal.
Arsenal to win and under 3.5 goals - 6/4
Arsenal need a strong second half of the season if they are to derail Liverpool's Premier League title charge and the Gunners kick off the new calendar year with a short trip to Brentford.
Mikel Arteta's men have turned on the style in recent away fixtures, winning 5-1 at Sporting in the UEFA Champions League and also putting five goals past London rivals West Ham and Crystal Palace in the league.
However, the Gunners are missing star winger Bukayo Saka, who has contributed five goals and 10 assists in 16 Premier League starts this season, so a low-scoring away win looks the best bet at Brentford.
Arsenal had to work hard for their 1-0 win over struggling Ipswich Town in North London last time out and the Bees have a proud home record this season.
Thomas Frank's side won seven of their first eight league matches on their own patch, scoring 26 goals, although five of those victories came against teams who started this round of fixtures in the bottom six.
Arsenal are missing Saka, Raheem Sterling, Ben White and Takehiro Tomiyasu but Brentford have also been hit hard by injuries and their unbeaten home run was ended by Nottingham Forest on 21st December.
High-flying Forest won 2-0 in west London and the Bees were fortunate to avoid another defeat at Brighton & Hove Albion just after Christmas.
They drew 0-0 at the Amex Stadium, where Brighton had 24 shots to their visitors' eight, and Arsenal are worth backing to grind out a ninth win in 11 games in all competitions.
Gabriel Magalhaes to score at any time - 7/1
Arsenal's prowess from set-pieces is no secret but most opponents still struggle to combat it and centre-back Gabriel Magalhaes is a tempting price to score against Brentford.
The Brazil international poses a colossal aerial threat and he should get chances against a depleted Bees defence who concede an average of 1.78 goals per game at home.
Gabriel has scored four goals in 21 starts in the Premier League and UEFA Champions League this season and he missed a great chance to add to his tally against Ipswich.
His free header from close range was just off target but he may well cause more damage from dead-ball situations against the Bees.
Brentford to have under 3.5 shots on target - 4/5
Brentford forwards Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa have stepped up following the departure of England striker Ivan Toney, scoring 19 league goals between them this season.
However, the Bees have lacked fluency in recent weeks and they may struggle to test former Brentford keeper David Raya in the Arsenal goal.
The Gunners have kept five clean sheets in their last six home matches and they will be aiming to start the new year with a shutout on the road.
They restricted Fulham to just two attempts at goal in December's 1-1 draw at Craven Cottage so under 3.5 Brentford shots on target looks a solid bet.
The Bees had four shots on target against an attack-minded Chelsea side at Stamford Bridge and three in their EFL Cup quarter-final defeat at Newcastle.
They have failed to score in their last two league fixtures, mustering just seven shots in the home loss to Forest and eight at Brighton, and Arsenal should be confident of keeping their hosts quiet.
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Brentford - 11/2
Draw - 15/4
Arsenal - 4/9
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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.