Brentford

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Brentford forward Yoane Wissa says his partnership with Bryan Mbeumo is so good that he could to him "blind".

The strike duo were both on the scoresheet as the Bees beat Crystal Palace on Sunday in a game in which Ivan Toney did not feature.

Toney was left out by Thomas Frank, amid links to Saudi Arabian side Al-Ahli, but Brentford did not look like they were missing their most prolific scorer.

"Even blind, I know where Bryan is," said Wissa after setting up Mbeumo's goal.

"He's going one-on-one more, and he'll be very happy he scored. I'm happy to work with him."

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The Telegraph’s Luke Edwards says "it is a really tough time of the season" for managers because the campaign gets underway while there is still so much speculation during the transfer window.

Thomas Frank chose to omit Ivan Toney from the matchday squad against Crystal Place because of "transfer interest" in the striker.

"They took the decision to leave him out but we all know how important he is for them," said Edwards on BBC Radio 5 Live's Football Daily Podcast. "But the doubts about his future have been going on for a long time now.

"They ended up winning the game even without playing their best player, but it is not an easy decision for a manager to make.

"Every manager would like the transfer window to end before the start of the season."

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Highlights and analysis from Sunday's two Premier League fixtures, plus the best of the action from the rest of the weekend.

If you missed Match of the Day 2, catch up now on BBC iPlayer.

And you can watch Saturday's Match of the Day here.

Listen back to the weekend's full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Arsenal 2-0 Wolves

• West Ham 1-2 Aston Villa

• Brentford 2-1 Crystal Palace

• Chelsea 0-2 Man City

Representatives of Brentford and England forward Ivan Toney, 28, are in talks with Saudi Pro League club Al-Ahli. (Teamtalk, external)

Manchester United are not interested in pursuing a deal for Toney. (Sky , external)

Want more transfer stories? Read Monday's full gossip column

Joe Rindl
BBC Sport journalist

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Brentford's win came despite manager Thomas Frank telling Sky Sports before kick-off that Ivan Toney had been left out of the squad because of "transfer interest" in the England striker.

Asked if Toney has already played his last match for Brentford, Frank said: "Who knows? There is interest. It's not close."

If Toney was to leave, replacing his goal threat is likely to be a talking point throughout Brentford's season.

And that may prove a tricky challenge given Brentford's summer g, centre-forward Igor Thiago, remains out until late 2024 after picking up a knee injury in pre-season.

On Sunday it was forwards Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa who found the net.

The pair have history stepping up with Toney out of the side. They scored 21 league goals between them last season in a campaign where Toney was banned for eight months for breaking Football Association (FA) betting rules.

The form of Mbeumo and Wissa may be key for the Bees this term too.

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Thomas Frank spoke to BBC Sport after Brentford's victory over Crystal Palace: "You can say that [Brentford got lucky with Palace's disallowed goal] It is a foul. We had the exact same situation against Sheffield United last year. It would have been disallowed anyway."

On Ivan Toney, Frank added: "There's been a lot of things around Ivan with transfer rumours and activity. That is why he didn't feature today."

"No [a move isn't close], there's things going on, but it is not potentially close."

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Brentford’s Yoane Wissa became the first player to both score and assist in three consecutive Premier League games since Manchester City’s Riyad Mahrez in December 2021.

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Come back to this page on Monday to find a selection of your replies

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A new season, and a new challenge for BBC Sport's prediction expert Chris Sutton.

Sutton faced off against a guest for each of the 38 game weeks in 2023-24 and triumphed 21-10 (with seven draws) to secure his second predictions title in a row.

In the first week of the new season, his opponent is The Courteeners frontman Liam Fray.

The pair have both given their prediction for Brentford v Crystal Palace on Sunday.

Sutton's prediction: 1-1

England striker Ivan Toney is still at Brentford and who knows how that will pan out.

They will be fine if Toney does leave, because they carried a threat for so long without him last season anyway, and I like the balance in their team.

Crystal Palace ended last season really well under Oliver Glasner but I'm not sure how they will shape up this time.

Jean-Philippe Mateta has been at the Olympics, Michael Olise has left, while Marc Guehi and Joachim Andersen could be sold as well - so we could be seeing a very different Palace.

We will have to wait to see how things settle down for both sides but, in the meantime, this is another game with draw written all over it.

Liam's prediction: 2-2

I think both teams will be pretty attacking so I can see a few goals.

Read the full predictions and have your say here

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Earlier, we asked you who has made the most Premier League appearances for Brentford.

By a whisker, the answer is Vitaly Janelt, who has 104 for the Bees, a mere two games clear of team-mate Yoane Wissa.

In that time, he has scored eight goals and made four assists.

Tasnim Chowdhury
BBC Sport Journalist

Brentford boss Thomas Frank has been speaking to the media before Sunday's Premier League game against Crystal Palace (kick-off 14:00 BST).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• On Ivan Toney, Frank said the England forward has "trained well and is available for Sunday". He added: "This transfer window, there has been so much talk about Ivan. I think everyone will be a bit disappointed that he is still here after 1 September, because you [the media] can't ask that question again. There's a January transfer window, but let's see."

• On team news: "The main thing last season was that we had too many injuries. A lot of them are now in a good place - for example, Ben Mee and Keane Lewis-Potter will be available for selection on Sunday, which is a very good thing."

• On new g Fabio Carvalho who ed earlier this week from Liverpool: "He will be available for the team and for the squad. I'm pretty sure he will be involved in that. He has looked good in training; he is a very exciting player. I like the way he is on the half-turn, the way he drives with the ball, the way he he can set up other players, the way he can also score goals. I think he has a lot of quality."

• On his wishes for the new season: "One wish would probably be to say no injuries, but the fewest injuries in the league. If we get that then we will have a fantastic season."

• On making improvements to prevent injuries: "The injuries that happened [last season], we were never happy with because there was a lot of injuries, a lot of unlucky injuries. We just try to every stone to see if there's something that we can improve."

• On Crystal Palace, Frank said: "I expect they will have a good season. They were impressive the way they finished last season. I think Oliver Glasner and his coaching team, the players and everyone did very well at Crystal Palace. I think it's clear to see what he wants. They look like they're very difficult to play against. I expect a difficult, tight game on Sunday. I think it's two even teams that will hopefully go toe-to-toe. I hope it will be entertaining for the fans. We will do what we can to attack and do what we can to win the game."

Look back at Friday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

Our football news reporter Nizaar Kinsella has asked whether Brentford's "unbridled success" in data-first football can take them into Europe, so we wanted to get your thoughts.

Here are some of your comments:

Ken: Yes I think we can. In the 2022-23 season we were so close. We fear no-one and can beat anyone - we just need to avoid the injury crisis of last season.

Ian: Anything is possible in football. I would love to see Brentford play in a major European competition. The club is currently under shrewd stewardship. Brentford have travelled a fair distance in the English football pyramid over the past 15 years. I think that the European dream can be achieved in the next five years.

Arg: Maybe in a few years but this season most likely not. Brentford have been plagued with injuries and what I would say was bad luck. But last season proved that no matter what the game of football throws at them, they'll come out on top better than ever.

Charlie: Don't let a heavily injury-riddled team fool anyone. Brentford have what it takes to make European football as long as they can keep key players fit. They start this season with a much stronger squad.

Who has made the most Premier League appearances for Brentford?

Answer will be revealed on this page at 17:00 BST

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Denmark international centre-back Mathias 'Zanka' Jorgensen has left Brentford to Belgian side Anderlecht.

The 34-year-old spent three seasons with the Bees, scoring two goals in 48 appearances in all competitions.

"Zanka has been a valuable member of the squad, stepping in as and when needed, and contributing to some memorable wins along the way," said director of football Phil Giles.

"We feel like now was the right time for Zanka to take this next step so we can progress our younger centre-backs and look to the future."

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Brentford are winless in all six of their Premier League meetings with Crystal Palace (drawn five, lost one).

It is both the t-most the Bees have faced a side in the competition without ever winning (also six v Newcastle) and the t-most the Eagles have faced a side without ever losing (also six v QPR).

Nizaar Kinsella will be covering clubs on the London patch this season.

He says: "Brentford's innovative approach to data and recruitment has been an unbridled success but many inside the club believe they can achieve more.

"I'm interested to see if it is just hubris or a reality."

Could Brentford make Europe?

Have your say here, external