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Brentford start our fourth season in the Premier League against a team we have never beaten in the competition.

Palace are one of two sides we have played in the league in each of the past three seasons, the other being Newcastle, against whom we have failed to win.

We drew our first five meetings before losing at Selhurst Park just after Christmas.

A managerial change in February – with Oliver Glasner replacing Roy Hodgson – spurred the Eagles on to a good end to last season, when they finished 10th, their first top-half finish in nine years.

Over the summer they lost one of their star assets with Michael Olise joining Bayern Munich and as we go into the weekend there is speculation about the future of England centre-half Marc Guehi, who has been interesting Newcastle.

WHO’S IN CHARGE

As mentioned earlier, Oliver Glasner took his first job in England when becoming Palace boss in February.

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Glasner spent 19 years as a player with Austrian side SV Ried, making more than 500 appearances, before having to retire following a brain haemorrhage.

After recovering, he started his managerial career at the club, before moving to Lask, where he had briefly played on loan. He led the club to a second-placed finish in the Austrian league and into the Champions League third qualifying round.

In 2019, he took over at German side, and our recent visitors, Wolfsburg – qualifying for the Champions League in his second season in charge.

He then spent two years in charge of Eintracht Frankfurt, before leaving last summer.

LAST SEASON

For the first time since Brentford and Palace have met in the Premier League, one of our fixtures had a positive outcome – sadly not the way we would have hoped.

Last season’s home game, also in August, finished in what was becoming an inevitable draw.

Kevin Schade put us ahead with a wonder goal – his first strike for the club – in the first half, but Joachim Andersen scored a scrappy equaliser after the break as it finished 1-1.

The return was our final game of 2023 and was not a good way to end the year for us.

Keane Lewis-Potter gave us a second-minute lead, but Michael Olise and Eberechi Eze put Palace ahead before the break, and Olise wrapped up the points by making it 3-1 after the break.

OPPOSITION VIEW

BBC Radio London Sports Editor Phil Parry looks at Palace’s summer and analyses their prospects for the new season.

Q – How do you assess Palace’s summer transfer business – both in and out?

A – Despite the fact that Palace have dipped their toe into the transfer market to buy players, so much of the talk has been about exits or possible exits. The likes of Michael Olise, Marc Guehi and Eberechi Eze have been attracting attention for some time and I think that there was resignation among the Eagles faithful that they would not be able to keep all of them.

With a couple of weeks of the transfer window still to go it looks likely that Guehi will also join Olise in the exit lounge, but Palace fans I’ve spoken to hope that will be the end of it. They feel a little sad that they wont get another full season of that front three which was so effective in the second half of the last campaign.

On the incoming side of things, the arrival of Chadi Riad was seen by many as a replacement for the departure of James Tomkins, and Ismaila Sarr will have a point to prove at the top level having made the switch from Watford. As with many clubs there is still some work to do and it would appear that the Eagles will have some more cash to splash.

Q – Despite losing Michael Olise, do you think they can continue their end-of-season form?

A – Olise is a very talented player and the way that he was utilised in Oliver Glasner’s system seemed perfect for his skillsets. Sometimes it’s not worth thinking about replacing an outgoing talent directly but considering how you can replace that player with another who will still be a round peg for the round hole left available in the system.

It will just take time to see if the relationship built up by Olise, Eze and Mateta combined with the support players behind can be replicated.

Q – What did Oliver Glasner do to turn things around last season?

A – A huge amount of credit has to go to Roy Hodgson for what he did at Palace in both spells, but especially when he returned in 2023. The club is an established Premier League outfit without being spendthrifts and is well-run. He had some misfortune as well with injury last season which denied him access to players who could have made a difference.

Oliver Glasner changed the formation when he arrived which created a way of allowing both Olise and Eze to be more central and flexible and helped boost Jean-Philipe Mateta’s confidence and opportunities to score.

The Austrian was also a fresh voice with a different approach and was extremely clear in his message and objectives. He also showed a lot of class and appreciation of what had come before, for example when praised for beating Manchester United at home to complete a League double he was quick to point out that the Old Trafford leg of the achievement had been secured by Hodgson, and that represented a greater than 50% of the return due to it being the away game.

Q – What do you think would constitute a good campaign for Palace?

A – The way that last season ended gave the Palace fans a lot of belief that this season could end up as a very positive one with another top 10 finish in the offing and who knows a little more. The departure of Olise and probably Guehi may have just watered down some people’s expectations, but there’s still optimism especially with the form that Mateta showed in the Olympics which has essentially been his pre-season. There is a lot of faith in the manager and of course still time for more signings, so the target will remain where it was when last season came to an end.

Q – Brentford have still never beaten the Eagles in the Premier League. What are your memories of past meetings?

A – Late goals and tight games are two phrases which spring to mind when it comes to the Premier League match-ups between the Bees and the Eagles. The game at Selhurst Park last Christmas being the odd one out in many ways – Brentford not being “on-it” and being the only non-draw in the six top flight meetings.

Yoane Wissa and Vitaly Janelt popping up with late salvations is certainly a memory in two of the games while the close nature of the squads and the coaching in the first season in the Premier League were reflected in a pair of 0-0s.

I asked Thomas Frank what would be the secret to securing a win this time and again he suggested it could a close game but it would be attacking acumen from his side which would be the key.

Q – Finally can you give me a possible Palace line-up and formation please?

A –                                                                  Henderson

Richards                            Andersen                          Guehi

Munoz                              Wharton                           Hughes                  Mitchell

Eze                                     Kamada

Mateta

PUBS IN BRENTFORD AND TRAVEL NEWS

For Palace fans coming to the Gtech Community Stadium, there are plenty of pub options pre and post-match and all are most welcoming and away-fan-friendly (as it should be).

The pub areas are split into two zones. There is the area around Brentford’s old Griffin Park stadium. The pubs there are still very busy on match day frequented by Bees locals before heading down the road to the stadium at Kew Bridge which is only 15 mins walk.

Then there is the area in and around the stadium in Kew Bridge.

It is possible, if you have a good early start, to savour a few pubs in and around Griffin Park and Brentford zone before heading off to the pubs in the Kew zone or even vice versa if you so fancy.

Pubs in Griffin Park/Brentford zone

When at Griffin Park, Brentford was well known for its four pubs – one on each corner of the ground. Three are still operating.

The Griffin is closest to the old away end and has always been very popular with both home and away fans and has its regulars who still make the journey down to the new stadium from there on matchday. The New Inn is on the other side which used to also be popular with away fans before the move. The Brook pub is the other option if you want to savour a pub in and around what is left of our old home. Worth a peep if you want to reminisce about old Brentford.

About five minutes’ walk away from the old ground are two pubs which are enormously popular. The Globe (Windmill Rd) is a “lively but comfortable” pub on matchday where many of the Beesotted crew drink on matchday. Incredibly friendly and cosy, it has always welcomed away fans for years – you can wear colours but also #manners are order. The pub has been popular with a selection of away fans who fancied having a beer a few minutes further walk away from the ground without having to queue six persons deep. After the move to the new ground, The Globe has retained many of lot its regulars from the Griffin Park days and with screens throughout the pub and in its sheltered beer garden, it shows both Premier League and EFL football before and after each match.

Meanwhile around the corner, The Lord Nelson (Enfield Rd) is another incredibly friendly and cosy away-friendly pubs about one minute walk from The Globe. Again with a TV screen for live sports and a lovely beer garden, this is another pub frequented by “away fans in the know”.

The other pub worth checking out in the Griffin Park region is The Black Dog Beer House, formerly The Albany, on Albany Road, if you like your real ales.

There are plenty of other pubs in and around Brentford High Street including real ale pub Magpie and Crown (Brentford High Street) and the cosy Brewery Tap (Catherine Wheel Road) near the river.

For a Griffin Park area pub crawl before heading over to Kew we recommend the following: Take the Piccadilly line to Northfields station. Turn left and walk for 2 mins and you will come to The Plough (Northfields Ave). Then walk to The Lord Nelson (10 min walk from The Plough) & then The Globe (1 min walk from The Nelson) en-route before hitting The Griffin (8 min walk from The Globe) and then The Black Dog (2 mins from The Griffin). You can also try and do the other three pubs on the corner whilst down here if you fancy.

Then you can then either walk (15 minutes from The Globe/The Nelson and The Griffin/Black Dog ) or take a train from Brentford station (which is five minutes walk away from both The Globe/The Nelson and The Griffin/Black Dog) or a bus (237/267) to Kew Bridge.

Trains run at 24 and 54 minutes past the hour to Kew Bridge from Brentford and take 2 mins.

Pubs in the Kew Bridge zone

Right next to Kew Bridge station, you will find the Express Tavern – an ale pub with a retro feel. The pub has been refurbished in readiness for the new football season and needless to say, is popular before the match due to its close proximity to the stadium.

Across the road by the river is One Over the Ait – a spacious boozer right next to Kew Bridge. This pub is situated on the location of the now-demolished Oxford & Cambridge pub where Brentford Football Club was founded in 1889.

Across Kew Bridge and the River Thames, there are two pubs on Kew Green – the Cricketers and the Greyhound – very close to the pier where Brentford fans have embarked on their away journeys by water to F*lham, Orient, Charlton, West Ham and even Southend.

North of the river along hoity-toity Strand on the Green, you will find The Steam Packet, in an old Cafe Rouge, and The Bell. A bit further down are The City Barge and the Bulls Head – two pubs side-by-side in which you would often see Ant and Dec hanging out.

There is also The Pilot which you can get to coming out of the BACK entrance of Gunnersbury station and we believe the old John Bull pub at the front of the station has been refurbed as The Gunnersbury but we have never been there so can’t give it a or a

Transport to Brentford and Kew Bridge

With no direct trains, we recommend people jump on the tube from Kings Cross or Euston and head to Northfields or South Ealing on the Piccadilly Line.

It is only 40 mins max station by tube to station meaning you could be in a Brentford pub within an hour of embarking your train at Kings Cross, Euston or Liverpool Street.

The other station option is Gunnersbury. You can walk to the stadium from Gunnersbury tube station (District line) in 25 minutes or take a bus (H91, 237, 267, 110), but note that it is closed for entry for one hour after the match.

For the Brentford/Griffin Park pubs you can get the Piccadilly line tube to Northfields station from King’s Cross or Euston (35 minutes) then walk down to The Plough, The Globe, The Lord Nelson and The Griffin and other pubs from there.

The new stadium is around 25 minutes’ walk from South Ealing station – if you don’t fancy Gunnersbury – or you can get on the 65 bus from across the road which will drop you almost outside in 15 minutes.

You can also pick up the 65 bus from Ealing Broadway (District and Central line) which will take you to the new stadium in 25 minutes.

You can check out Transport for London’s guide to travel on the Tube and Overground.