In their final warm-up for the 2022-23 Premier League campaign, Brentford welcome Real Betis to the Brentford Community Stadium on Saturday.
The hosts have experienced mixed fortunes in their pre-season friendlies so far, and a stern test awaits against an away side that finished fifth in La Liga last term.
Match preview
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Finally returning to home soil after accommodating several fixtures during Euro 2022, Brentford are now aiming to round off the pre-season period in positive fashion.
After Thomas Frank's side were thumped 4-0 by Wolfsburg and lost 2-1 against another Bundesliga club, Stuttgart, they managed to put a positive result on the board in midweek - coming away from Brighton with a 1-0 win on Tuesday.
A 2-2 draw with Strasbourg also saw the Bees concede more than once against European opposition, having kicked off their summer programme by putting two unanswered goals past Boreham Wood earlier this month.
They came out on top in a behind-closed-doors practice match at Arsenal's training ground, too, with one of last seasons' heroes Bryan Mbuemo among the scorers on Wednesday.
Brentford now finalise their preparations against Betis, before visiting Leicester City on the opening day of the new Premier League season, and given their impressive adaptation to life in the top flight last season - plus some astute summer signings - Frank will surely feel they can secure another year among the elite.
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In one of the more curious pre-season friendlies this year, Real Betis stepped up their preparations for a fresh La Liga campaign by taking on Marseille in the unfamiliar surrounds of Chesterfield's Technique Stadium earlier this week.
Manuel Pellegrini's men held the French giants to a 1-1 draw in Derbyshire, and now conclude their jaunt to England by travelling down to London for this weekend's encounter with Brentford.
Then set to return to Seville, where they will host Real Zaragoza and Fiorentina, Los Verdiblancos will be hard pushed to replicate their excellent form of last season, when they finished just five points short of arch-rivals Sevilla in the hunt for Champions League football.
Lifting the Copa del Rey was no mere consolation prize for a side transformed by the experienced Pellegrini, but Betis now find themselves in the position of needing to sell players before they can bring in reinforcements for 2022-23.
Heavily linked with former stars Hector Bellerin and Dani Ceballos, both of whom are apparently eager to return to Estadio Benito Villamarin, the Andalusian outfit lost 2-1 to PSV last weekend, so are still seeking a first significant scalp of the summer.
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Team News
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Thomas Frank continues to re-shape his team without Christian Eriksen pulling the strings in midfield, and some shrewd transfer dealings have seen Lazio goalkeeper Thomas Strakosha and Bologna wing-back Aaron Hickey arrive from Serie A in recent weeks.
Ben Mee has also joined, following his departure from relegated Burnley, and the 32-year-old defender could start at centre-back while Kristoffer Ajer remains sidelined after thigh surgery.
Both Ethan Pinnock and Christian Norgaard have also been absent throughout the Bees' pre-season programme to date, with the former expected to miss the start of the season. Norgaard, though, is now ready to feature, following a minor knee injury.
Meanwhile, Betis are set to name a strong side at the Brentford Community Stadium, though William Carvalho was excluded from the squad which travelled to England on Monday - the Portuguese international is on the verge of leaving, with Nottingham Forest one of several suitors.
Fellow midfielder Guido Rodriguez is also apparently in high demand, but should start in the visitors' engine room, as Borja Iglesias and Willian Jose battle it out to lead the line up front.
Veteran pair Andres Guardado (35) and Joaquin, now aged 41, will feature at some stage, while recent recruit Luiz Henrique should start on the wing.
Brentford possible starting lineup:
Strakosha; Hickey, Jansson, Mee, Henry; Onyeka, Janelt, Jensen; Mbeumo, Toney, Wissa
Real Betis possible starting lineup:
Bravo; Sabaly, Pezzella, Gonzalez, Moreno; Rodriguez, Canales; Henrique, Fekir, Juanmi; Iglesias
We say: Brentford 2-2 Real Betis
As both sides play in a progressive style and can call upon a number of attacking options, they could produce a score draw on Saturday - with either side finding the net more than once.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Jonathan O'Shea
