Match-day Preview: Arsenal travels to take on Brentford

Match Day Facts:

Kickoff: 3pm Eastern time

Location: Brentford Community Stadium

Channel/Streaming: NBCSN/Peacock

After a grueling and rather agonizing last season, Arsenal finally gets a much-needed fresh start where they'll be taking on newly-promoted Brentford. The pressure is already high on Arsenal for this highly anticipated kickoff to the Premier League season.

Fans have demanded proper backing to the manager, Mikel Arteta, yet so far, with only 18 days left in the transfer window, there isn't much to show for it. Arsenal has brought in three players, Left-Back Nuno Tavares (£6.8m with add-ons), Central Midfielder Albert Sambi Lokonga (£15m with add-ons), and Center-Back Ben White (£50m), the latter of the three becoming a guaranteed starter for the Arsenal defense. While all three have been rated as fine additions, fans are demanding more from the Club.

Throughout the entire preseason, the Arsenal attacking third was abysmal. It became clearer just how lacking it was when Arsenal faced Tottenham and Chelsea in their last two preseason matches. Struggling against the Chelsea side that is last season's UEFA Champions League winners and this season's UEFA Super Cup champions can be a little overlooked. Still, the repeatedly failed chances against Tottenham drew instant alarm bells within the Arsenal fanbase. It's not a knock on Tottenham, but the fact is that Arsenal has to finish top four, facing two of the North London clubs that have finished above the Gunners in multiple seasons, and being unable to score a goal is a massive concern.

Enter James Maddison/Martin Ødegaard/Lautaro Martinez/Dušan Vlahović/Tammy Abraham. All these players have been linked to a move to the Emirates in hopes of saving Arsenal in bolstering their attack. Arsenal fans are already familiar with Real Madrid player Martin Ødegaard. During his short loan spell in the second half of the season, he had moments of brilliance and others that resulted in injury spells. According to various reports, Ødegaard is still the No 1 priority on Arsenal's transfer list. Still, unless Real Madrid begins to loosen up on their negotiations, it seems he is set to stay put at the Bernabéu. The most intriguing of the names, and possibly the crucial one to help fix Arsenal's problems, is Leicester City's central attacking midfielder, James Maddison. A clinical set-piece taker, free-kick specialist, and a free-flowing midfielder that helps open up the wings of the pitch, he would be a player that Arsenal has missed since a prime Mesut Özil. Of course, Arsenal's biggest problem is the price, but if they have the ambition they talk about in the press conferences, should they not have the funds for this transfer? Only time will tell with less than three weeks left in the window.

As for Martinez, Vlahović, and Abraham, the mission is clear for Arsenal. They are looking for a young striker who has a high ceiling of potential. This summer, their transfer business is no longer targeting aging veterans who could take on a massive salary and bring very little to the squad. Martinez would certainly be the most expensive business as Inter Milan has told Tottenham that if they want Martinez, he will cost at least €90m. That seems well out of reach for Arsenal, especially if they're going to bring in Maddison. Vlahović is another exciting scenario because he hasn't proved much outside one season, but in that one season, he showed tremendous promise. Fiorentina knows this, and that's why they're asking at least €50m for him. Then, of course, there's Chelsea outcast Tammy Abraham. Arsenal continues their recent history of taking Chelsea rejects and trying to fit them into the Gunners mold. While Abraham has flashes, can he genuinely provide what Arsenal and their fans have been begging for?

Now match day has finally arrived, and all these problems still linger around Arsenal. As the first team travels to Brentford, they'll be without their captain Pierre Emerick Aubameyang. Arsenal Correspondent for Goal Charles Watts reported that Aubameyang is out possibly due to being ill. So with no Aubameyang, what lineup will Arteta feature against Brentford? Here's my prediction of what to see today from Arteta.

GK- Bernd Leno

RB- Hector Bellerin

RCB- Ben White

LCB- Pablo Marí

LB- Kieran Tierney

RM- Nicholas Pepe

CM- Sambi Lokonga

CM- Granit Xhaka

LM- Bukayo Saka

CAM- Emile Smith Rowe

ST- Alexandre Lacazette

This is by far the strongest lineup Arteta has to work with at the current moment. Brentford has an attacking threat in striker Ivan Toney that they could exploit through Arsenal's right side, but it all depends on which Hector Bellerin shows up in today's match. His inconsistency has cost Arsenal dearly, and with transfer rumors circulating around him for the past six months, it will be intriguing the kind of performance he puts in if he starts. In terms of the center-back pairing, once again, it's the best combination Arteta has at the moment. Gabriel is out till September so expect Pablo Marí to make most of the starts while he's out. His partner during that time will be, without a shadow of a doubt, Ben White. When Arsenal spends £50m on a center-back, he will undoubtedly start. In the midfield, we have seen Arteta start Mohamed Elneny alongside Granit Xhaka, but this would be an utter mistake. Lokonga must start next to Xhaka. He has shown great promise in his preseason matches, and while it may seem early to give him a start of this magnitude, Lokonga's progressive passing and control on the ball well exceed Elneny's ability. With Aubameyang out, I expect Pepe to start now and shifting Saka out to the left side to accommodate Pepe on that right side. After earning his new contract, Smith Rowe will start in the No 10 role, and Lacazette will feature in front of him.

PREDICTION:

2-1 Arsenal.

This match will be challenging and probably will leave Arsenal fans on the edge of their seats throughout the entire match. The reason it's going to be so frustrating is how Arsenal's form was so poor this preseason, and that magically doesn't go away. They will start slow in this match, which could cost them an early goal or reward Brentford with a mistake. Although Arsenal may have a slow start, this team is strong enough to battle through a tricky matchup like Brentford. The players must dig deep if they have the same kind of aspirations that Arteta has. I expect a massive game from Pepe, Saka, and Smith Rowe if they all start together. If this trio is all on the pitch together it will be very difficult for Brentford to deal with all the low crosses in the box that these players are known for under Arteta.

The biggest takeaway to watch from today's match is how Arsenal plays today as a whole. Will the players perform under the system that Arteta has tried establishing for so long? Will the players finally perform a full 90 minutes or switch off for ten-minute periods? These are serious inquires and ones that must be answered today. The road gets so much more complicated after Brentford, and with no European competition this season, the only matches that genuinely matter right now are in the Premier League. Arsenal will take on Brentford at 3 pm eastern.