Brentford and Tottenham are level at 0-0 in the early stages of their Premier League opener at the Gtech Community Stadium, with the hosts making a fast, aggressive start and forcing Spurs under immediate pressure.
Tottenham have made the short trip from north to west London for the headline London derby on the opening Saturday of the new season. Despite successive 17th-place finishes and only escaping relegation on the final day in May, expectations are high at Spurs as their big-spending summer transfer window continues, with £100m signing Sandro Tonali expected to headline a flurry of competitive debuts.
Team news and absentees
Familiar issues persist as Roberto De Zerbi begins his first full campaign in charge, with a number of key players absent. Injured new captain Micky van de Ven and World Cup winner Pedro Porro are out, while Savinho has not signed in time to feature as Spurs also push to land Manchester City team-mate Omar Marmoush.
Brentford should provide a stern first test for Tottenham’s new era, having impressed under Keith Andrews last term and only missed out on last-gasp European qualification on goal difference. The Bees hand a top-flight debut to club-record signing Mamadou Sangare, whom they hope will provide the perfect counter to Spurs’ new-look midfield.
Early exchanges
Brentford have come out flying, so aggressive and so direct, with Tottenham already under serious pressure. The hosts won an early corner off Richarlison, who headed away a whipped free kick, and a volley from Lewis-Potter from the edge of the area was blocked.
There is one debutant in the Brentford line-up and four in Tottenham’s, with two more waiting on the bench for the hosts and three for Spurs. Kick-off was at 5.30pm BST at the Gtech Community Stadium, with the match shown live on Sky Sports.
