**London Derby Kicks Off the 2024/25 Premier League Campaign for Brentford and Crystal Palace**
The 2024/25 Premier League season gets underway with a London derby as Brentford and Crystal Palace face off at the Gtech Community Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
Brentford is entering its fourth consecutive season in the English top flight, with the innovative Thomas Frank still at the helm. However, the Bees endured their most challenging Premier League campaign last season, finishing 16th and flirting uncomfortably with relegation.
This summer, Brentford has been active in the transfer market, bringing in Igor Thiago and Fabio Carvalho for significant fees. In contrast, Crystal Palace has focused on retaining key players rather than making new signings over the past two months.
The Eagles have already lost Michael Olise, and there are concerns that Marc Guehi and Joachim Andersen could follow. However, if Oliver Glasner's side can retain the core of their squad, they could build on their strong finish to the 2023/24 season. Their campaign begins with a trip across the capital to face Brentford.
**Match Details:**
- **Kick-off Time:** Sunday, 18 August at 14:00 BST / 09:00 ET / 06:00 PT
- **Location:** Gtech Community Stadium, London, England
- **Referee:** Sam Barrott
- **VAR:** Peter Bankes
**Head-to-Head Record (Last Five Games):**
- Brentford: 0 wins
- Crystal Palace: 1 win
- Draws: 4
- Last Meeting: Crystal Palace 3-1 Brentford (30 December 2023) - Premier League
**Current Form (All Competitions):**
- **Brentford:** Brentford 4-4 Wolfsburg, Watford 1-1 Brentford, Benfica 1-1 Brentford, AFC Wimbledon 2-5 Brentford, Brentford 2-4 Newcastle
- **Crystal Palace:** Crystal Palace 1-1 Nantes, Crystal Palace 3-1 West Ham, Crystal Palace 3-1 Wolves, Crawley 3-6 Crystal Palace, Crystal Palace 1-1 Charlton
- **United Kingdom:** Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Premier League, Sky Ultra HD, Sky GO, Sky GO Extra
- **United States:** fuboTV, nbcsports.com, NBC Sports App, Telemundo Deportes En Vivo, USA Network, Telemundo
- **Canada:** fuboTV
Brentford's £30 million signing Igor Thiago is sidelined after undergoing knee surgery in late July, leaving Ivan Toney as the primary goal threat. The Bees are also without Aaron Hickey, Rico Henry, and Josh Dasilva due to long-term injuries, but new £22.5 million signing Fabio Carvalho could make his debut.
**Brentford Predicted Lineup (4-3-3):** Flekken; Roerslev, Collins, Pinnock, Ajer; Norgaard, Janelt, Jensen; Mbeumo, Toney, Wissa.
Crystal Palace will be without Jean-Philippe Mateta, who reached the final of the 2024 Paris Olympics with France. However, the rest of Glasner's squad is fit, with new signings Daichi Kamada, Chadi Riad, and Ismaila Sarr expected to feature.
**Crystal Palace Predicted Lineup (5-2-3):** Henderson; Munoz, Andersen, Riad, Guehi, Mitchell; Wharton, Doucoure; Kamada, Edouard, Eze.
**Score Prediction:**
Crystal Palace could surprise a few teams this season if they maintain their end-of-season form from 2023/24, but their disjointed pre-season could lead to a slow start. Brentford, though lacking depth in defense and midfield, can be tough to beat at home. A draw seems likely in this opener.
