Brentford vs Arsenal Odds & Prediction – Premier League Matchday 1 August 13

• It is Brentford vs Arsenal in the opening game of the new EPL season on Friday, August 13 at 3:00 pm EST
• Newly promoted Brentford are among the favorites to go down while Arsenal are hoping for a top-six finish
• We preview the game, look at the odds, and offer a best bet below

The Brentford Community Stadium hosts the opening game of the new English Premier League season on Friday, August 13 at 3:00 pm EST, with Arsenal as visitors. The Bees are back in the big time after a long wait dating back to 1947. We list the odds, preview Brentford vs Arsenal, and offer below the best bet for this EPL opener.

Brentford vs Arsenal Odds

Odds as of August 12 at DraftKings

Big Day for Brentford

This will be the first time Brentford’s new Community Stadium has been full since its completion last summer and what better way to celebrate than with the club’s first top-flight game since 1947 against glamorous London opponents. While the odds will clearly favor the Gunners, the Bees will still be buzzing from their playoff final win over Swansea on May 29 and will look to use some of that momentum.

🗣 Thomas on the squad

"Every summer in the Championship we had to sell players but this summer we have only added. I have a big belief in the squad and a big belief in the team. If you don’t have that belief, you aren’t going to achieve anything"#BrentfordFC #BREARS pic.twitter.com/NatO0dbA9J

— Brentford FC (@BrentfordFC) August 11, 2021

Goals that day at Wembley from Ivan Toney and Emiliano Marcondes (now at Bournemouth) were enough to secure Brentford a safe passage to the EPL and it was a bullish Thomas Frank, who spoke to the press afterward, talking up his team’s chance of holding their own in the top flight. Now the talking has to stop and his players have to deliver.

Good Pre-Season for the Bees

If pre-season form can be used as a guide, then the Bees look well prepared, with their only defeat being a narrow 1-0 defeat to fellow Londoners West Ham. Other than that one loss it has been fairly plain sailing for Frank’s men with six wins, which included the scalps of Watford and Valencia, while also achieving an outstanding 2-2 draw with Manchester United. The other wins were against Cambridge United, Southend United, Wimbledon and Boreham Wood, so it has been almost the perfect preparation for the Arsenal game.

Yoane W𝙞𝙨s𝙖 Bee#WissaAnnounced #BrentfordFC pic.twitter.com/nEy8a1nYN1

— Brentford FC (@BrentfordFC) August 10, 2021

At the back end of last season, the Bees put together a nine-game unbeaten home run and so they come into this campaign in really good shape and off the back of playing some really attractive and progressive soccer.

Brentford vs Arsenal Head-to-Head Stats

Pressure on Arteta

Arsenal’s failure to earn a place in Europe for the 2021-22 season – the first time in 25 years – will have been regarded as a catastrophic failure in north London. Manager Mikel Arteta had many problems to juggle last season and so was given a relatively easy ride by the Arsenal fans but they will be less forgiving if this season proves to be equally underwhelming. The pressure is on and that includes making a good start. If there is no discernable sign of improvement by the end of this calendar year, the Spaniard’s tenure will certainly come under very close scrutiny.

That first start feeling! 👌

❤️ @Ben6White

#️⃣ #TOTARS pic.twitter.com/XH0eLZFcuX

— Arsenal (@Arsenal) August 8, 2021

To compound the Gunners’ disappointment at missing out on European soccer, it was their bitter rivals Tottenham who pipped them to that final place in the inaugural Europa Conference League with a last gasp victory against Leicester City on the final day of last season. Morale is already a little low at the Emirates, so making a good start to the new campaign is doubly important for the Gunners.

Tough Prep for Gunners

But Arsenal’s preparation for the new season has been far from ideal with Hibernian, Chelsea and Spurs all beating the Gunners in pre-season friendlies. Arteta has also made slow progress in the transfer market, missing ou,t in particular, on Norwich’s midfield maestro Emi Buendia, who signed for Aston Villa.

If, however, Arsenal fans are looking for a positive sign, they need look no further than their record away from home on opening day, which shows them to be unbeaten in seven.

🥇 Gunning for gold!

We're all with you, @g_martinelli01 ✊

🇧🇷 #Tokyo2020 pic.twitter.com/fYyd9APsi2

— Arsenal (@Arsenal) August 7, 2021

Brentford vs Arsenal Best Bet

Brentford will look to play on the front foot and use their promotion momentum to rattle Arsenal early on. In Ivan Toney, they have a striker who will trouble even the best defenses and he will be desperate to get on the board early. An early goal for the Bees could make this very interesting indeed.

For the Gunners, the goalscoring burden will again fall mainly on Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette, both of whom struggled last season. Providing Brentford is able to withstand any early Arsenal pressure and not go behind, I see something here for them. The draw at +275 looks excellent value.

Pick: Brentford and Arsenal to draw (+275)